Award-winning singer/songwriter Skip Ewing built a music career envied by many. His songs have appeared on over 80 million records and been recorded by a veritable who’s who of Country Music. After a detour that took him to new territory, geographically, professionally, and spiritually, Skip has completed his highly anticipated new album, Wyoming, …and it was worth the wait! The unparalleled 12 song collection, co-produced with Kyle Lehning, is slated for release August 21, 2020, on Write! Records.
“I started writing the album in 2018. I didn’t know if I’d ever do another music project,” Ewing admits. “I had sold everything in Nashville except my instruments and some art. In the meantime, I had been coming to Wyoming every year since the early 2000s.”
Though music remained his first love, Ewing developed a passion for horses and discovered he had a gift for working with them. “I rode thousands of miles horseback,” Ewing says. “I devoted myself to horsemanship and learned so much from them about who I am.”
Soon, Ewing found himself in a particularly creative season of his life. “My wife came home one day, and I played her another of the new songs, and she said, ‘Honey, it’s time to put all the journeys together. The world needs to hear this.'”
From the first steam-driven riffs in “Railroad,” through the last guitar harmonics of “Unicorns,” experiencing Wyoming as an album is captivating. The melodies wash over us; the lyrics transport us. We become enveloped in the lyrical fabric, and musical tapestry Ewing has woven. The collection reverberates with a wide array of emotions, tangible feelings of longing, hope, love, angst, and joy.
“I wasn’t striving for this to be a certain kind of record, just allowing it to be what it was. I wanted to write skillfully using all the tools I had, my heart, my brain, my experience. I was unafraid, willing to speak my heart without filtering it through what somebody else told me I had to do to be successful.”
When Ewing began thinking of who he wanted to co-produce the album with him, only one person came to mind—Kyle Lehning. They’d met years ago when Lehning, because of Ewing’s unique style, enlisted him to play guitar on a Randy Travis session—another of Ewing’s destined-to-be #1 compositions “If Didn’t Have You.” Though they hadn’t spoken in years, Ewing reached out to Lehning. “In his ever-kind manner, Kyle said, ‘Alright, send it to me, but honestly, I’m only recording things I really want to record,'” Ewing recalls. “Kyle listened to it and called me back right after and said, ‘Well, when do you want to record?'”
From the moment they stepped into the studio, Ewing says the experience was better than he could have anticipated. “It felt like Kyle and I had worked together for 20 years. We had so much fun making the record and pushing the envelope,” he smiles. “I believe we got some wonderful moments just because of the way we worked together. Kyle is brilliant. He can be technical when it’s needed, and he’s also a wonderful musician. I respect him very much. We would give each other enough space to let whatever happened happen, and yet, time after time, we’d look at each other with the same thought, the same insight, at exactly the same moment. We’d get all excited, and it was constantly fun.”
Once live music returns, Ewing looks forward to hitting the road and sharing his music. “I wasn’t writing for any specific genre; I was writing for the hearts and ears of the people I believed would listen. I was writing as an artist. I was out here letting myself draw from whatever musical wells I had, and whatever was in me,” Ewing explains. “I was writing imagining I was going to share it with people all over the world. That made a big difference in where I went, and it felt good to be free.”
“I believe there is poetry in all music, and music in all poetry. I hope listeners experience that in this project,” Ewing says. “Meaningfully connecting with people through what I write, what I say, and what I sing… that means the world to me.”
Wyoming
Song List
1. Railroad
2. The Juggler
3. Wyoming
4. Petroglyph
5. Margolaigne
6. Little Jenny
7. Wings
8. Until It’s Gone
9. Santa Fe
10. Whiskey Basin
11. Cowboy Inside
12. Unicorns
Connect with Skip Ewing at:
www.SkipEwing.com