Sign of Truth (2000)
“Sign of Truth” emerged after a four year absence from recording. Although I made appearances and hit the road during that time, many changes were taking place in my world. The slow sale and high cost of “Dreaming from the Labyrinth” lost my Warner Bros. record deal, so went publishing and booking too, then management, then my marriage. These years taught me a lot about self-reliance and will. Not having been very involved in the business side of my business before, I panicked, worried, cried. Then, I rolled up my sleeves, located a willing booking agent to keep me working, cut off my long hair and embarked on the adventure of self-management.
These songs embrace my always hopeful romance and optimism, but also step inside some darker corners of chaos and turbulence brought on by personal upheavals and change. I sent demos of my latest writings efforts to Rounder Records and signed on with them once again. Marvin Dykhuis and Chip Dolan, my longtime road and studio champions, helped me produce this collection. The arrangements, sound, and production of this CD, I feel, are among the best of all my recordings. While “Fence Post” best explains the effects of the storms, Chip's “Song for the Journey” welcomes the acceptance of things. However, “Wildflowers”, in its Monty Python meets Pablo Neruda in Las Vegas arrangement (Marvin's mad genius) helped me smile then, and always will.