Long nights on solitary journeys, with one lone voice for companionship. It’s an experience many of us can remember, traveling under the open sky with the car radio bringing us words and music from far away. It’s on roads like this that you find John Sonntag.
He’s been on a journey for many years, and the songs he brings back from it always sound fresh. Making friends around the country, he’s toured and collaborated with many of the best musicians from the wide common ground of singer/songwriter folk, mapping out new territory as they cross the worlds of western swing, lonesome country, roadhouse dance floor and acoustic rock. But his music always calls you home, and is firmly rooted there. Since his last release, Chasing Stars (2006), he’s been raising a family and running a studio that serves as a stop for some of the finest musicians the world over. Now he’s back with Radio Songs, and when you least expect it, you’ll be hearing his voice with your new favorite tune.
It’s a route that takes you from the bittersweet melodies of heartbreak songs like “Time Can Make Us Strangers” to the optimistic groove of dance-parties like “Too Much of a Good Thing”; and from the defiant energy of anthems like “When We Are Beautiful” to the comfort of lullabies like “Morning Comes Early.” Sonntag travels through time too, from fond remembrances of his late father’s guidance (“Every Day I Get Up”) to his own pride at his growing daughter, in songs like “Wiffle Ball,” an ode to the fun chaos and instinctive cooperation of kids at play. Through it all he sings with the voice of an angel and the tough insight of a master storyteller. And he’s sharing the ride with friends from the A-list of folk, jazz, rock and country.
They make incomparable modern music together, with classic, authentic heart. And on Radio Songs, you can just crank it up and sing along.
“WIFFLE® is a federally registered trademark of The Wiffle Ball, Inc.”
