trumpeting soul

no never mind i never needed to tell you i want you
i'd sooner die than believe in the weakness of fools
all my life i've waited...it's true
to realize i never needed no one more than you
a hand for the helpless to help tie my shoes

listen to me (hush my darling)
hear the word, speak the truth (don't you cry)
there's somebody up there (keep your head up)
smilin' down on me and you (high...)
baby i (like), maybe i’d (to), like to know (know)
the trumpeting soul

i had in mind a little faith in this trial and err world
you might have been sorry for leaving so soon
take your time don't hurry...this through
i'd rather die than be left all alone without you
a sign for the silent and a sun dripping life

hold on to something (hush my darling)
the key that we hold (don't you cry)
it sounds just like music (keep your head up)
and it feels good as gold (high...)
maybe i (take), maybe i'll (con), take control (trol)
of the trumpeting soul

a symbol of hope we don't dare let go

cry if you need to (hush my darling)
said the calm before the storm (don't you cry)
and know that i love you (keep your head up)
as you walk through that door (high...)
Gabriel! (blow), Gabriel! (your), come blow your horn (horn)
you’re the trumpeting soul

Word & Music by Skeleton Crew® ©Skeleton Crew Music (ASCAP)

The celebrated author, H.G. Wells once wrote: “The past is but a beginning of a beginning.” In pre-historic...dig!, the debut album by Skeleton Crew, Mr. Wells’ profundity becomes embodied in a musical testimonial that’s just that; original songs of far-reaching lyrical and musical depth, vivid panoramic imagery, and an arrangement strewn with the subtle haunting of a familiar friend.

Pre-historic...dig!, and its “power acoustic”-based sound bars any formal labeling and transcends musical typecasting. Songs such as: “callalili,” “in sympathy,” “kiss the world goodbye,” and “everything a man can bring” flirt with the band’s pop sensibilities. The country-tinged ballad “we ought to know better” takes a nod from Nashville, while “trumpeting soul” – aided by legendary trumpeter Johnny Trudell (Sinatra, Streisand, Motown) – pays homage to Louis Armstrong and New Orleans’ jazz. The ballad “sentimental” and the album’s epic finale “lost my way” round off the band’s eclectic leanings.

The late great Detroit Free Press feature writer Bob Talbert noted in a past column that: “pre-historic...dig! is one of the best albums I’ve heard in years. The group’s terrific harmony and brilliant musicianship on original songs bring to mind both the Eagles and The Beatles.” No surprise since Skeleton Crew’s inclusion of John Lennon’s “I’am The Walrus” may have contributed in the comparison to the later.

Nationally recognized music writer and recording artist in his own right, Stewart Francke (Detroit News, CD Review, The Boston Phoenix, Minneapolis City Pages, Detroit Metro Times), writes of pre-histoirc…dig!: It’s certainly the most melodically sophisticated and emotionally comprehensive statement in recent memory.” Francke goes on to say that: “Like other most capable pop miniaturists (Jimmy Webb, Roy Orbison, Paul McCartney), Skeleton Crew writes songs rich in both romantic possibility and quotidian detail.”