“One day down and life to go...”
TRENT DABBS --------------------POSITANO
It's evident in Trent Dabbs’ newest collection of songs, Positano that he's been ruminating on the bigger picture of life, love and the depths of emotion. In line with his other ten solo albums, this release captures his ethereal and reverb-induced laid back vocals we've all come to love from him that flow over steady grooves and gorgeous melodies allowing the listener to hit play and let the album run song after song after song. It's the perfect playlist for your heavy mellow moods. In fact, one of the early believers in this new collection of songs is none other than Taylor Swift who, just a few months ago, added track three – “Come Home Safe” – to her Spotify Playlist titled “Songs Taylor Loves.”
Positano is Dabbs' eleventh album, and if you think he's been busy just writing and recording his own albums over the last couple decades, you're wrong. He's spent a decent portion of his career writing songs for other people, which Dabbs refers to as his passionate day job.
From Dabbs' personal experience as a songwriter, there are those songs that simply never see the light of day. Yet some of his songs have become the soundtrack to your road trip or may have set the perfect scene to build just the right emotion for your favorite show. While other songs have ended up being sung on the stages that most artists only dream of playing, heard over and over on radio stations as they climb the charts into the Top 40...and then that one song that ended up landing on the set of SNL, being performed by one of his favorite artists.
It's clear that Dabbs has an undeniable gift of pouring into the new generation of music, helping artists evolve and find their own sound or take their career to the next level. In addition to working with Nashville heavy-hitters like Luke Dick on his Republican Hair project and Natalie Hemby on her critically praised release Puxico, Dabbs has collaborated with a long versatile list of artists including Kacey Musgraves, Ingrid Michaelson and Liza Anne, just to name a few. His work with Michaelson has led to several songs on her last two albums including her catchy hit single, "Girls Chase Boys.” And in this year alone, Dabbs' singles have included Kacey Musgraves’ “High Horse,” COIN’s “Growing Pains,” American Authors’ “Deep Water” and Matt Simons “Made It Out Alright.” And the list goes on.
But for Dabbs, it’s the others.
The other songs that only make sense for the artist to keep because it only makes sense for them to sing. Songs that are so vulnerable that the artist wonders if they can even sing them live. These are the songs that infiltrate this record.
“Sometimes I block off weeks at a time to write for myself, but these were written over the course of several years. It was almost as if each song was an orphan and then once I sat down and put the best songs together for this record, it all made sense and felt like a perfect family. They all seemed to flow and fit together and somehow had a certain unity and subject matter.”
This theme of loyalty runs thick throughout this record. The album’s title Positano, is a place where Dabbs spent his honeymoon 18 years ago and is symbolic because it’s where he realized that loyalty wasn’t just a word...it is a lifestyle. It’s almost as if Dabbs is using his own conviction and determination to be a better man to challenge the listeners along with him. So, take it as you take it and hear what you hear, but don't be afraid to let it change you.