Singer-songwriter Dan Montgomery will be releasing his seventh album Cast-Iron Songs and Torch Ballads on April 7th. It was recorded at The Shack in the Back studio in Memphis, TN with Montgomery and Robert Mache producing. It’s being issued on 12” vinyl LP, digital download and via streaming services by Fantastic Yes Records.
It’s not unusual for an artist to signal a “return to their roots” a few albums into a career. Usually this brings out mandolins, banjos, and variations of the folk tradition. Cast-Iron Songs and Torch Ballads is NOT that.
After six critically acclaimed Americana albums later, Montgomery reconnected with the raw rock he played in his youth. “I came into possession of a Danelectro, plugged it into an amp and new songs immediately came pouring out. And they were songs with riffs. It was wild to experience my current singer/songwriter self, meeting up with that Classic Rock kid from the past. But it felt totally natural. I knew right away that I had to book time and cut an album with my band while the moment was hot. And I did.”
Today Glide is excited to offer an exclusive premiere of Cast – Iron Songs and Torch Ballads, which finds Montgomery taking things up a notch by using classic rock embellishments. These might make this his most commercial effort yet, but don’t mistaken in thinking its devoid of soul as he has created a place where lyrical depth and radio friendly production exist in harmony. From the opening riffage of “Start Again” to the roots rocker of “If I Said It” to Drive-by Truckers-esque “Beaumont,” Montgomery keeps the electricity flowing. And those are just the first few songs. Ultimately, this collection places Dan Montgomery on a level with not only the best Americana singer-songwriters but classic rockers as well.
Montgomery shares his thoughts on the album:
“Electric,Eclectic, and In the Moment; Cast-Iron Songs and Torch Ballads was not the album I expected to make, but it was the album I’d always wanted to make. An album about uncertain people in uncertain situations that still persevere at least in their own unique fashion. Recorded fast and furious, all the basic tracks were done in 8 hours and overdubs were few and far between. It’s funny that while the world was coming apart at the seams that I made my most upbeat album lyrically as well as musically.”
LISTEN:
