John Dandrea

This is one of my favorites - musically it takes me back to Berlin and to the job I did there so long ago.  There is this steady beat to it that  came from working the sort of endless shift work, always a grinding workload. The album cover photo is the older, more mature woman and inside here, it could be the same woman earlier in time.   There's a comparison of the game  "musical chairs"  to the randomness of  life   - something you think about more when in  military service.
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vocals:   Abigail Strickland
lyrics page:   Lyrics   Info page:  Info

This is a relationship song, showing how true love changes and matures over time.  The essence of this song is about commitment, and not allowing feelings to rule the relationship.   I wrote this song as a mellow acoustic guitar ballad with minimal extra instrumentation.  I imagined it as one of those quiet songs that comes from the heart, and from an understanding of  the levels of sacrifice,  hard work, and giving that makes a relationship last. 
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vocals:   Abigail Strickland
lyrics page:   Lyrics   Info page:   Info

Diana Princess of Wales, was always a very special source of inspiration for me.  Truly, she was the "People's Princess" and like the rest of the world, I just seemed unable to move on following that tragic loss.   Yet she inspires us still. With this instrumental song, and the use of EZKeys by Toontrack, a setting of songwriter and the patterns called "Lovesong"  caused this to just come about.  It felt as though her personality was creating the melody -  which was happy, peaceful, and excited all at the same time. 
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This song's from the perspective of a man who had to stay at home while his wife was the soldier , who was deployed into a hostile area.  As  women now also serve in combat areas,  this particular situation is  more common.  It inspired me to think about such a role reversal. This song is dedicated to soldiers everywhere who choose to serve and to endure the trials of military life - and to bring attention to the enormously high suicide rate among veterans, largely unknown to the public. 
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lyrics page:   Lyrics   Info page:  Info

This song is very special to me, because it was my very first online collaboration effort.  Mikael is from Sweden, and we decided to try a song together - he had written the beautiful music of this song and had the name "Silence".  He asked me to write lyrics and to record vocals for it. We  received many nice comments from our peers, and went on to collaborate on some other songs.   I was always impressed with Mikael's skills in recording beautiful instrumental work and in producing a really great mix. 
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music:   Mikael Schulin
lyrics page:   Lyrics   Info page:  Info

This is a simple, light acoustic piano song.   I wrote this during a rough patch in my life, and Abigail added her beautiful vocals for this song. I feel that this has a nice place on this album.  It's another  romantic ballad but shows that a truly good relationship can be such a joy.   I was also pleased to find a special photo that visually matches the feeling I had while creating the song. 
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vocals:   Abigail Strickland
lyrics page:   Lyrics   Info page:  Info

This song came about from my first vacation visit to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, long overdue.  The waves, the sunset, the boats.... it was truly a spectacular week and no wonder that it inspired me to write this song. The lyrics were what was going through my mind at the time - the constant pursuit of material things in life was such a waste of time and energy.   The song adds a more upbeat feeling to the album and provides another day-at-the-beach visual to enjoy.  This photo also says it all! 
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lyrics page:   Lyrics   Info page:  Info

I was always fascinated by lighthouses, the sea, rocky shores, and sailboats.  They add color and beauty to the view of the water.   I love the ocean,  the beach, the song of sea birds, and the crashing of waves onto the shore. This song is a mellow piano tune with a beat.   I wanted to create a relaxing instrumental backdrop for the beach scene, with lyrics that were meaningful -  such as:  "there's something to be said, for a Rock of Gibraltar type of friend..."    
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vocals:   Abigail Strickland
lyrics page:   Lyrics   Info page:  Info