Daniel Cartier announces acoustic recordings inspired by "Home"

Tennessee based singer/songwriter Daniel Cartier is working on multiple recording projects for 2022, including a batch of recordings inspired by the word "HOME", which will be almost exclusively vocal and acoustic guitar.

Says Cartier, "I’ve been wanting to do a fully acoustic, "stripped down" album for awhile, but life had other plans. Instead I found myself working multiple jobs, grieving loved ones who passed away, trying repeatedly to get sober, and surviving some spirit-crushing relationships. For a while, all I could muster was surviving. Trying to do anything more seemed impossible. The longer I put off honoring my music however, the more it hurt. I knew eventually, I'd have to get back to doing what I love doing most!"

The body of songs, tentatively titled "McEwen" (after the town Daniel currently resides in with his 4 dogs) will be released in early 2023 to coincide with the release of his album "Mix Tape Summer" The road back to recording comes after a long absence. It has not been an easy return. Says Daniel, "My return to recording (after a 5 year absence) began in 2021, when my dear friend Todd Stephen's asked me to contribute music to his gorgeous movie, Swan Song" (Swan Song is now streaming on most services). "The wonderful opportunity filled me with gratitude," continued Daniel, "but I was nervous. I hadn't recorded in so long, and I was rusty. I literally forgot how to use my recording gear, and had to re-train myself. As soon as I was back in the groove however, I didn't want to stop. The sheer joy I felt at being musically creative again was one of the best feelings in the world. I'll always be grateful to Todd for lighting a fire under me, and giving me a reason to "get busy" in the studio again." The bare-bones approach of the new recordings is also a departure for Cartier. "I have a tendency to obsess over the production of my recordings. Many times, a song that starts out simple winds up being fully produced. I’m not saying this is bad, but it’s definitely a habit I’ve gotten into. The end result is that most of my recordings don’t reflect the fact that I’m a guy who mostly performs solo-acoustic. Aside from a handful of recordings, and my debut CD “Live from New York, The Subway Sessions” (recorded on a subway platform), all my albums have been fully-produced with a band, overlapping vocals, and a host of studio trickery. "For this particular batch of songs, I want to avoid all that, and stick to capturing what I enjoy doing most - playing guitar and singing “as if nobody’s listening”. Most tracks will be limited to one vocal and a guitar. There will be very little overdubs or studio trickery - if any." The main theme of the album is finding a home in an uncertain world. "There have been massive shifts in my life over the past 52 years. I feel like HOME has always been an elusive mirage. So many homes I've known have been temporary, and fraught with financial or emotional uncertainty." "I’ve crashed on friends couches, lived out of duffel bags, lived with various partners and watched relationships fall apart. I’ve lived in too many apartments to count, and even called some rehabs and psych wards “HOME” for a spell. I said goodbye to the one home that I thought would never change - my childhood home. Throughout all of my moves… I always knew my parents house would be there; a beacon of certainty for my uncertain life. Saying goodbye to that home was one of the most difficult things I ever had to do." "But… life goes on. Now for the first time in my life, I’m in a home that (to the best of my knowledge) isn’t going anywhere. I’m grateful for the sense of stability the dogs and I feel living here. Our old house (built in 1899) might not much to look at - but it's ours. There is a lot of love that lives here. Life can be chaos, but if we just stay in the game, life can also be lovely.” For more information on upcoming releases, click here to be added to the monthly newsletter.