It’s been six years since I released my last record, “Hey Karma”. Since then, I’ve been dropping the occasional digital single. We recorded a few new tunes last year and initially thought about just pressing a three-song EP. Then I realized: “Wait. I have these other songs that have never been on disc. And we have those live recordings from last Spring. And I’d REALLY like to get my ‘Covid trilogy’ onto one CD.” That added up to a full CD. So…here’s some information about “Welcome Back: A Collection”.
If you’d like a copy (digital or disc) for review or airplay consideration, shoot me at michael@michaelgaither.com. Many thanks for your interest in this new project.
The CD is now available here on the website, on all your favorite streaming platforms, and of course at our shows. You can also have a listen right here:
More Kudos for the Record
Five songs on the new record placed as finalists or winners in The Great American Song Contest:
- 2023: “Welcome Back (to the Land of the Living) – Finalist, Americana Category, “Cheers to the Road” – Finalist, Americana Category, “Cheapskate Hill – Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting, Americana category
- 2020: “See You On the Other Side,” WINNER, Singer/Songwriter category
- 2019: “Starlite Drive-In Saturday Night,” Finalist, Americana category
About the Record
Since his last full release, 2017’s “Hey Karma,” Michael has been regularly releasing digital singles. “Welcome Back: A Collection” makes those tunes available on disc for the first time, along with several new studio recordings, two live band tracks and two fun bonus songs.
This is Michael’s fifth release of original music. It’s a journey through Michael’s past few years as a performing songwriter AND a look at the world in general on both sides of the global pandemic – all of this, of course, through Michael’s signature mix of humor, sarcasm, and gratitude.
The record is framed by his Covid Trilogy which includes the John Prine-esque “See You on the Other Side,” which won the Singer/Songwriter category in the 2020 Great American Song Contest, the humorous shelter-in-place country tune “Day Drinking Days,” and the post-pandemic anthem, “Welcome Back (to the Land of the Living)”.
“We’re the Elders Now” is an acoustic, tongue-in-cheek look at aging. It’s paired with “Cheapskate Hill,” a look back at youth (“we were kids – that’s what we did”) and the changes in a small-town hangout. “Cheapskate Hill” is also a sequel of sorts to Michael’s “Starlite Drive-In Saturday Night,” a crowd favorite and a runner-up in the Americana category of the 2019 Great American Song Contest.
As a song cycle, “Cheers to the Road” comes in as a sort of conclusion to the record’s initial series of studio tunes. It’s piano-driven Americana piece praising life’s unexpected turns and what comes up along the way (“if it wasn’t for the road, I wouldn’t be here with you.”)
Interviews and Copies
For interview requests with Michael or to get a digital or physical copy of “Welcome Back: A Collection”, contact Michael at 831-288-2226 or booking@michaelgaither.com.