These were songs written in the spring of 2023 after my second cousin Colin and his family came to visit us in Texas. We are both songwriters and lovers of all types of music, and he encouraged me to write some new music focusing on Texas. The title is a play on the highly pretentious double album by the legendary Yes (“Tales from Topographic Oceans“). I like how all the songs “fit” my vocal range, and they all reflect my current sense and sensibilities, vs. trying to recapture something from my teenage years. Most are sorta’ rootsy, reflecting my binging recently on the classic early recordings of the Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead – although “Dancing with the Dancing Queens” has an 80s New Age vibe to it (but that seems to fit the lyrics better). I also took the opportunity to reimagine songs that I wrote and recorded last year that I was never completely happy with the original versions of – “Dogs” became “Texas Dogs”, and “The Imperfect Country Song” became “The Imperfect Texas Song”. (Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?)
Music available on all major streaming and social platforms. Videos available below.