This is my twentieth record. I have tried to make each one true to my vision, but on the other nineteen, I fell somewhat short. There was always some distraction: drugs and alcohol, deleterious executive oversight, life sapping, soul sucking personal relationships, and my own lazy sluttiness and lack of ability to stay focused to the end. I promised myself at the beginning of this one that I'd make the record I've been trying to make for the last thirty years.

A profound occurrence added to my determination. Doug Sahm, the most diverse, whimsical, soulful genius in my musical memory, died while we were making this record. Even though I know he had much in him left to give, I think he had pretty much done everything he wanted, in exactly the way he wanted. His death broke my heart but strengthened my resolve to not waste any more time on anything but my heart's desire.

The project was fraught with difficulties from the beginning. We began it for an alleged label, didn't like where that relationship was heading and bought the tracks back from them. I then borrowed money to finish what I thought were the best tracks I'd ever had to work with. Let me take the time right now to credit and thank the musicians for creating such wonderful music for me to sing to, and to acknowledge Mike Dysinger , the consummate producer, for his own artistic contributions and for his perfect oversight and taste in allowing the record to fully realize it's own life.

There were health problems and money problems and legal problems and equipment problems, but each time we came to an obstacle we were able to prevail. The most daunting part of the endeavor came after the record was done; the odious work of placing it. The record business had finished falling into the hole it had dug for itself about the time we started pitching the record and it didn't look very promising for a 55 year old eclectic musician. But just as we were about to give up and release it ourselves, some very nice people came along with a totally digestible offer. I happily relinquished the role of label to them.

Now we come to the record itself. First of all, don't read too much into the title. It came to me in the middle of the night while I was on Delbert McClinton's 'Blues Cruise'. I had spent a good bit of time in the piano lounge listening to Nick Connolly play Randy Newman and Mose Allison tunes, and was reminded of how much irony there is in the music I most enjoy,(and write).I toyed briefly with the idea of doing an entire album of their songs and came up with this title in that context. I didn't originate the phrase. I've heard both Dennis Miller and George Carlin use it. But as this record progressed it became more and more appropriate. Finally it just stuck.

The fashion with liner notes seems to be to describe each tune with some superlative phrase. That wouldn't be difficult for me to do; as I said, I love these tracks. I would prefer, however, to share some thoughts about the songs and their creators.

You Will Find Me There was written by Will Jennings, who wrote "Higher Love", "Roll With It", "When It All Comes Down" and the theme from Titanic to name but a few, and who was generous enough to send this one to me. It was co-written by Matraca Berg, who is not only one of the best singers in Nashville but a great writer as well. I discovered that the guy who cuts my hair had a wonderful bass voice and recruited him to help me demo the backup arrangement for this one. He was so amazing that I put him on this and several other tracks as well.( The last time I had a bass singer on a record was when I used the fabulous the Jordinaires on "That's All Right Mama" in 1970.) The song came out, surprisingly, like an old-time gospel tune. I think of The Segoe Brothers and Naomi when I hear it.

Strongest Weakness was written by Gary Nicholson, the most prolific and funkiest writer in town, and Bekka Bramlett, daughter of the great Bonnie. Bekka is also a spectacular singer and writer. We cut it with two different rhythm sections. Both tracks were so wonderful and different that we couldn't, after months of trying, pick the one we liked best. So we used them both. You can do that when you're paying for it.

Got A New Truck is both real and allegorical. It speaks to the desire of every woman to be on her own, but it had its genesis in the fact that both Marcia Ball and I needed a new truck. We were lusting after Delbert's cool four by six cylinder Toyota pickup. We are also both huge fans of Tom and Ray Magliozzi and decided to write something that they might use on their radio show, Car Talk. Marcia played piano on it; in fact she played her ass off on that track. What a left hand that woman has.

If You Knew How Much, was written by David Egan, who wrote or co-wrote several of the tunes on the Sing It album, and is nearly as prolific and certainly as funky as Gary. He told me that it was the first song he ever wrote. My first song (Down So Low) worked fairly well for me, so I didn't hold that against him or the song.

Last Chance is most dear to my heart. It was written by Alice Newman, the daughter of my dear friend, Billie, who had the farm next to me. She passed away far too early, several years ago. I've known Alice since before she was born and have watched her grow into an incredible and incredibly talented young woman. This is also the first song she ever wrote. I helped her demo it and when I was trying to come up with something that I could do with a loosely Irish treatment, this song came immediately to mind. She sang the second part on it.

How Much Truth was a huge leap for me. I've always admired the song, and Mose Allison, who wrote it. It almost gave me a heart attack the first time I heard him perform it. When I got up the nerve to give it a try, I called my old friend Ben Sidran who, while we were at the University of Wisconsin, introduced me to the music of Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Joe Tex and a host of other R&B greats, and who also produces Mose. I asked him for help, and he sent me the song and Mose' chart for it. I then put it in the hands of Reese Wynans, who arranged it, and played magnificently on it, and with great trepidation I recorded it. The track came out beyond my wildest dreams, which gave me the push I needed to finish it. I simply couldn't waste such a wonderful track by wimping out on a difficult challenge. It is admittedly very dark. With Mose' blessing I changed one line in the last verse and the whole lyric, I think, rings terribly true.

Still Not Out Of The Woods is a wonderful song to sing. It just feels good and is another great contribution from Gary Nicholson and co-writer Jim Lauderdale.

I Must Be Crazy - I am.

Even Now, still another amazing song from new Dad, David Egan, was another happy surprise. I loved the late Johnny Adams version of it and wanted to try it, but I didn't expect such an interesting treatment of it. The track sounds to me kind of spooky, and almost retro, like Santo and Johnny.

And finally Quicksand. It was written by Terry Hanck, who is an amazing sax player, singer, and writer from the San Francisco area. I've been fortunate enough to have him back me up out there as well as open shows for me. I've sung backup on his performance of Quicksand many times and wanted to try it for years. Now I have.

Actually that's not the last of it. In a final burst of total self-indulgence I recorded a song, Silent Trail, I first heard in an old Gene Autry movie when Roy Rogers was one of the Sons of the Pioneers. Roy sang it with just a fiddle accompanying him and it has stuck with me for years. It's been over thirty years since I had a fiddle on a record but the incomparable Andrea Zahn created such an exquisite part that I had to put her on a second song (Last Chance) as well.(It occurs to me that my final self-indulgence is actually writing these liner notes.)

So here is my twentieth record. I hope you like it as much as I do. It was, as I said, a difficult delivery; it took longer than the gestation period of an elephant. Well worth it, but perhaps next time I'll adopt.

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