This album is all about taking chances, starting over, and climbing out of ruts. It’s all about seeing things from new perspectives, following whims, and chasing ghosts. It’s about the infinite power of love. And, at a time when so many people are wringing their hands in fear of what’s going to happen next, this album is about hope. It’s never too late to change, to put out new shoots, to seek the light. To bloom. Musically, this is an all acoustic album. The day we started recording, I told Jim Crew, my engineer, that the word we need to keep in mind is "honest." No digital tricks, no heavy effects, just real sound. And I wanted the listener to be able to hear every word, because words are important to me. Mostly, I just wanted to be true to each song, not forcing it to be something that's currently popular, or sound like so-and-so. The songs know what they want to be. Don't get me started about genre. Personally, bands who are easily defined as a certain genre are almost always boring to me. The Beatles never played that game, never let themselves fall into a genre rut. So Late Bloomer has elements of classic rock, blues, bluegrass, and some old time swing stuff, too. You'll find the influence of the Beatles, Prine, James Taylor, Paul Simon, and maybe a little classical if you listen closely. You write what you love. No artist is going to save the world. No one album is going to awaken everybody to the miracle that is our own existence. All any of us can do is nudge the human race in the smallest possible way toward peace, tolerance, and kindness. I'm foolish enough to think that maybe I can make a small difference. Peace to you all.