Americana Highways is pleased to provide you a chance to hear one of the songs from David Olney’s upcoming album This Side or the Other (Black Hen Music), due August 24.
The album was produced by Steve Dawson, and features Steve Dawson on guitars, Charlie McCoy on harmonica, Dan Seymour on upright bass, and Justin Amaral on the drums backing David Olney on acoustic guitar and vocals.
The song credits “Wall” was written by David Olney and John Hadley. With its lyrics: “fear by fear, doubt by doubt… when did we begin to live in shadow? we don’t even trust each other now,” “Wall” is a song that undeniably references current borders and walls separating people. With its shuffle beat suggestive of loping horseback rides, and its harmonica connoting mournful old westerns by firelight, this song will both trigger you to think and catch you up in emotion.
Thoughts on this song from David Olney: “Wall – A wall has a duel nature: it can protect or it can separate. When it does the first, that’s a good thing. When it does the second, it’s bad. John Hadley’s painted image of the blackbird flying over the wall and back again really gets me. I suppose you need a wall to have a door. And you need a door to have a lock. And you need a lock to have a key. And on and on it goes.”
Click right here to listen: