Ever since the idea of the Rootsy Approved series came up, David Olney was an obvious candidate. But for several reasons it took us a couple of years before we could make this project come true. Mr. Olney is a busy man, always on tour somewhere in the world. Or in the studio recording. Or at home in Nashville writing songs or making his weekly “You Never Know” web video series.

Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to run into David Olney on several occasions. A humble, hardworking man with an odd sense of humor. His reputation as a songwriter is solid. The late singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt put Olney on his short list of favorite writers, alongside Mozart, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Bob Dylan. And with endorsements from Emmylou Harris and Steve Earle, you can’t question David Olney’s songwriting skills. What strikes me every time I see him, is the way his live show has been developing. From a rather traditional singer/songwriter to a brilliant performer and entertainer.

I’m proud to finally be able to get involved in the world of David Olney by the release of the second volume of Rootsy Approved – Introducing Americana Music.

The first disc contains the brand new album “Predicting The Past” (to be released in the US in the fall of 2013).

The second disc contains 17 favorite tracks from Olney’s recent years. Many of David’s most well known songs were not available to us for legal reasons. Because of that we can’t call it a ‘best of’. But it’s still a great introduction to one of the best American songwriters today.

- Håkan Olsson, Rootsy


Disc 1:

Predicting The Past

One of my goals on this project was to feature my road compadre, Sergio Webb. Sergio¹s guitar playing is mind boggling. On electric or gut string, he takes chances, skates on thin ice, goes out on limbs and makes a song much more compelling than it would be otherwise. And I wanted to capture
that on a studio album. Sergio had worked with Paul Burch and had many good things to say about his time in the studio with Paul. So I contacted Paul and we had a cup of coffee and discussed working on a project. Soon after, Sergio and I got together in Paul¹s studio and the three of us began putting songs down on tape. Paul played drums and engineered. The first song we did was »Girl Up On The Hill«. First take. Paul later added a fuzz guitar and bass. That first session I think we got three songs, all on first or second takes. Paul is such an empathetic player and producer. He cuts to what is essential and does not waste time and energy on frills. The performance takes precedence over production. More sessions followed and always with the same joyful result. We tried different styles and different tones, serious and playful. The basics stayed the same. Sergio and Paul and I having fun.
Dennis Crouch threw in on a song (»Look«). The impeccable Fats Kaplan added a touch of fiddle and lap steel (»Cruel Symphony«, »Walkin¹ Blue«). Jen Gunderman played some beautiful keyboards (»Things Fall Apart«, »Long Gone Daddy«). And Tomi Lunsford contributed haunting vocals (»Cruel Symphony«).

Playing and writing have been the core of my life for more than forty years. I think of myself in musical terms. What I do and what I am are virtually the same. I have learned from every recording experience, have found new ways of expressing myself every time the recording light turned red. It is a pleasure and an honor to work with others who feel the same.
- David Olney

Disc 2:
A retrospective 2000-2012