Bill Deasy - Start Again

Can you please, my friend, give the rules a bend? Throw the rag in the pail and allow me to start again. So sings Bill Deasy on the title track of his latest release. It's that spirit of rebirth and renewal, of circling back and fearlessly recommitting to fiery innocence and expressive freedom that makes this record so special and marks the dawning of a new era in this accomplished artist's creative life. With 'Start Again,' Bill returns to the origins of his inspiration. These 11 new songs, produced by Chris Parker, summon faint (and not so faint) strands of the songwriter's heroes: Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Alex Chilton, John Hiatt, Rickie Lee Jones, Neil Young and Van Morrison to name a few. Of course, the tributes would ring hollow if the songs weren't so damn good. From the gangster love and death saga "Failsafe," to the free-wheeling road tale "Heaven's Gate," to the new-love lullaby "Too Soon," and the achingly honest Maia Sharp duet "Where'd She Go?" Deasy is at the very top of his game as a songwriter and singer. You can practically hear the rediscovery in each well-chosen note and lyric. "He calls to mind Paul Westerberg and many of the finest rock songwriters who mix poetry and drunken bluster, yet somehow sound macho and sensitive at the same time..." Performing Songwriter Magazine.