You have here an iconoclastic musician playing songs written by a legendary iconoclastic songwriter/musician who was murdered when he was only 39.  The two had come to Austin, Texas near the same time and almost immediately became running partners who shared the crazy life of a musician in that wide open music mecca.  This disc is being released in conjunction with a documentary film, Blaze Foley: Duct Tape Messiah, that has been finished about this man of whom Lucinda Williams has said, “Blaze Foley was a genius and a beautiful loser.” He did have a thing with duct tape, starting out covering the tips of his boots in duct tape, making fun of the Urban Cowboy fad, to eventually making a whole suit out of duct tape, which he did wear.   On the disc Gurf Morlix, who is a master of many instruments, displays why he is considered both a go to producer and a top notch musician; he has produced and recorded with a virtual “Who’s Who” of the music business from Robert Earl Keen to Buddy Miller, to Jimmy LaFave to Eliza Gilkyson and so many more.  He did it all on this disc; Produced, Engineered, and played all the instruments but the drums, Rick Richards, and the harmony singing was done by Kimmie Rhodes on "If I Could Only Fly.”
 
On this disc he takes the songs of his friend and Compadre, that often celebrate the underprivileged, and presents them for the entire world to see.  Some of the songs when you hear them will jar memories of hits by other artists; Merle Haggard, Lyle Lovett and John Prine, not a bad tribute in itself, covered his songs.  Most reflect clearly Blaze’s sentiments, titles such as "Baby Can I Crawl Back To YOU,” “Down Here Where I Am” and “If I Could Only Fly.”  Blaze Foley was always considered an odd ball, eccentric is a better word there, and he and his songs were known for their honesty.  The songs range from love songs to political commentary. He never had an album released while he was alive.  The story behind the 3 he recorded and what happened to them is both too long and too bizarre to explain here. Suffice it to say he was considered a genius and revered by his friends and fellow artists, and once you hear these songs so lovingly performed by Gurf Morlix in his inimitable way you’ll know why.  This is one of the most poignant discs to cross this desk this year, and it is about time this artist got his due.  You might also understand why Townes Van Zandt said of his friend, “He’s only gone crazy once. Decided to Stay.”