Colin Linden

Recorded in Los Angeles, Toronto and Nashville, Easin’ Back to Tennessee is acoustic blues at its finest that recalls the street-corner songs of New Orleans pickers and Mississippi Delta dwellers from another era. Linden evokes the ghosts of blues greats such as Robert Johnson, Blind Willie Johnson and Blind Willie McTell. The record features a combination of Linden originals and covers of some gems from the masters of the canon. The disc marks the first time in the songwriter’s legendary career that he’s recorded a straight-up blues disc. On the Depression-Era McTell lament, "Broke Down Engine,” the hurt drips from Linden’s lips and his perfect picking gives this age-old acoustic gem a new lease on life. One of the many high points is the mournful "A True Friend Won’t Let You Down,” which Linden co-wrote with fellow Nashville songwriter Gary Nicholson; the song carries the simple message of the value of friendship. The self-penned instrumental "Paramount” sounds as if it was discovered in a vault housing some long-lost tunes from another era and it showcases Linden’s accomplished acoustic picking. From producer to award-winning songwriter and sought-after sideman, to successful solo artist, the 45-year-old Linden is a true renaissance man as he continues to follow his muse and somehow find time to juggle his various musical endeavours.