Search - Andrew McKnight :: Something Worth Standing For

Recorded with the help of longtime friend and original Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member Les Thompson, Something is a coherent and compelling musical portrait of contemporary America while drawing inspiration from legendary musicians like The Carter Family and Woody Guthrie. Spanning haunting blues, feisty anthems, rustic folk, and a bit of swing, the 16 cuts showcase McKnight painting many colors with his dynamic and supple tenor voice, his tasteful slide and flatpicked acoustic guitar, and the occasional rocking Americana electric guitar. Something reflects the maturity of a veteran songpoet and seasoned musical artisan. He focuses on threads in the American tapestry through the lens of illegal immigrants, of ordinary people clinging to lost treasures of their past, and of those praying for loved ones to safely return from war. Notable are the rollicking Cajun-meets-Clapton title cut, "Times We're Living In", a haunting indictment of the forces that coalesced behind Katrina, "Wind Whispers Your Name", an a capella elegy for a fallen soldier, and "Bridges", a beautiful meditation on the cycles on parenthood co-written with Mary Chapin Carpenter's keyboardist Jon Carroll. And honoring the folk process, McKnight updated lyrics in a rocking rework of the traditional "Worried Man Blues" as well as Robert Johnson's "Crossroads," the spooky solo slide blues that closes the album. Something has enjoyed a wide array of critical praise and industry recognition, earning a Record of the Year nomination for the Washington Area Music Awards and Americana Album of the Year nomination by Just Plain Folks (as well as an Americana Song of the Year nomination for "Count Your Blessings").