Ron Block is set to release his first solo album in six years, 'Walking Song,' on July 30.
Block, best known for his work with Alison Krauss & Union Station, will be releasing his third album with Rounder Records since his first solo release in 2001, 'Faraway Land'.
'Walking Song' will feature 14 original acoustic tracks that were written with the help of his newfound co-writer, an award-winning poet named Rebecca Reynolds. He originally discovered Reynolds through posting his writing online, according to his website. "I would write posts on the theological topics that I tend to write about, and Rebecca would be one of the commenters," Block said. "Whenever she'd write something, I'd think, 'Man, she's smart. Smart without trying to be smart, with a very poetic way of putting things.' I don't know how it actually ended up happening, but she said, 'Hey, would you ever want to try to write a song together?'"
Together Block and Reynolds penned about 50 different songs, including the 11 original pieces that will appear on his upcoming album. "Rebecca came along and said, 'Let's just be kids creating again,'" Block said. "It's more like what I was doing when I was 17, 18 years old, even though the stuff I was doing wasn't as developed. It was just a kid sitting there experimenting, having a good time."
This collaboration gave way to a variety of different types of songs from love songs to songs that depict the deeper longings of the soul. "Some of these songs are just fun," Block explained. "They're fun and they're sweet and they're just for a moment of relief or respite from the hum-drum everyday world." Then he added, "And that's the way bluegrass has always been. It's about human experience. I think there's a danger in separating the two, secular and spiritual, where you begin to look at certain things as not sacred and other things as sacred, when, really, washing the dishes is a spiritual activity, or whatever the thing you're doing is. If you're living in the moment with God, it's spiritual."
The album was recorded in Block's personal studio and then he incorporated some backing instrumentation such as vocals by Union Station band mates, Krauss and Tyminski, as well as Suzanne Cox, dobro guitar by Jerry Douglas, bass by Barry Bales, mandolin by Hull, Mike Compton and Sam Bush, and fiddle by Stuart Duncan. Block even went as far as to send some songs overseas to British folksinger, Kate Rusby, so that she could contribute her own harmonies. "Since I was 15 or 16 and I got a four-track recorder," he said. "I was always recording on my own, and I was always layering and then getting other people to play on the stuff. I have all kinds of recordings from those years of doing what I did on this record. So it seems really natural to do it that way."
The upcoming album features a wide array of different types of music, including Scots-Irish ballads, Appalachian fiddle tunes, bluegrass romps, singer-songwriter narratives and even some grooving newgrass music. 'Walking Song' is Block's way of getting back in touch with his musical roots, while exploring new approaches to music along the way.
Block is a talented bluegrass artists who specializes in both the guitar and banjo and proves to be a talented songwriter, singer and producer. Throughout his time working with Krauss & Union Station, Block has received a number of Grammy, IBMA and Dove awards, while creating a name for himself in the music industry. When he is not working on solo material he is generally busy working on a number of other projects.
In all of his musical endeavors, Block tries to be careful not to lose his creative drive. "You know, success can kill you," Block said, according to his website. "It can kill your creativity. When you go to write a song, suddenly you no longer have merely sound and lyrics in your head-you have what other people will think about this line or that melody. All that stuff begins to weigh on you if you're not careful."
In addition to his solo works, Block has been writing songs for Krauss & Union Station for over 20 years, and has had songs recorded by other artists as well, such as his Union Station band mate Dan Tyminski, Michael W. Smith, Rhonda Vincent, Randy Travis, The Boxcars, April Verch, The Cox Family, Sierra Hull, and The Forbes Family. He has also contributed to albums by artists including Dailey & Vincent, Bill Frisell and Andrew Peterson to Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill and more.
Full track listing [according to New Release Tuesday]:
01. Walking Song
02. Devil in the Strawstack
03. Jordan, Carry Me
04. Ivy
05. Summer's Lullaby
06. Nickel Tree Line
07. Let There Be Beauty
08. What Wondrous Love Is This?
09. The Fields of Aidlewinn
10. Chase Me to the Ocean
11. Shortnin' Bread
12. Colors
13. Sunshine Billy
14. Rest, My Soul
