Coltrane and Snow and away we go

The Loft was coming through the office speakers yesterday but I wasn't paying much attention. You know those times when you hear music and it's generally pleasing, and you might even be tapping a foot to the beat, but you aren't really LISTENING to it?

That was me. Then, near the end of a song that was completely foreign to my ears, I heard this:

And those who live by fair and just are bound to be laid low
Among the few you still can trust, John Coltrane, Hank Snow

Did I just hear John Coltrane and Hank Snow? I perked up and listened to the rest of the song:

So let’s just raise a glass: for them who time has frozen the page
“To days gone by, when men were men, and all the world was not a stage”

Who was this poet? The chorus took me to the end of the song:

You’re gonna be the one to save the day
Yeah, I believe that’s what you’re here to do
But when the last drops of bourbon mix with the rising sun
Who’s gonna be the one to save you
Who’s gonna be the one to save you

If you've heard this song before, I salute you. You're ahead of me. It's "Who's Gonna Be the One" from Kenny White's new album Comfort in the Static. I've blindly ordered CDs with less to go on, and I'm definitely ordering this one. Forget the mp3 download; I want the works.

Hearing one artist sing the praises of another is like a famous author who writes a blurb for a colleague's book jacket. Thanks, pal, but what do the critics have to say about it? (Not that reviewers know, but they're probably not just stroking a friend.) Yet when David Crosby chimes in on White and Comfort in the Static I respect what he says, which is:

“I’d have to say that Kenny White has earned a place among my favorite singer/songwriters … and particularly, lyricists. As we say in the trade “he goes deep.” A true wordsmith AND musician who reveals a fine sense of humor, as well. Put on your headphones and listen carefully.”

I'm going to. Carefully.