Forgotten Road

'Forgotten Road' is Dave Hearn's second release as both a singer and songwriter, following 2010's 'Songwriter.' But, it is his seventh release over all. After his days in the Hawks, a Columbia Records act, Hearn turned for many years to recording and releasing instrumental albums using his ever-increasing computer skills to craft moody, melodic soundscapes in a variety of styles, ranging from soft, lively Jazz ('Casually Yours') to the expansive sonic palette of 'Soundtrack to an Imaginary Film' and two popular Christmas CDs. After the release of 'The Old Iowa Walts - Piano Solos' Dave turned back to songwriting. When Hearn released 'Songwriter' in 2010, it represented his first recorded work as a primary vocalist. It also contained songs that dated back as far as 30 years in time, so it felt a lot like a retrospective. 'Forgotten Road' is a much more confident and upbeat album. Blasting out a Beatlesque riff to lead off If You Love Me, the CD never looks back as it celebrates the variety of states of mind of lovers, ex-lovers and those looking for love. Highlights include the title track, a propulsive rock track about a man whose whirlwind affair is cut off suddenly; Love Shines in Your Eyes, which recalls the gorgeous singer/songwriter ballads of the 60s and 70s; the classic power ballad The Lonely One, and two straight-up pop tunes, Hole in My Heart and Upside Down. Why Does Love Go Wrong is a modified Blues, while Love Has Found Me features a harpsichord solo, and Under My Skin features a nifty gypsy violin. 'Forgotten Road' sounds like a rock and roll band recording, but it isn't. Hearn played every instrument and sang every vocal on every track. Using MOTU Digital Performer software on a Mac Pro, he layers all the keyboards, guitars, bass and drums using over thirty virtual instruments to add numerous musical touches to flesh out the songs. It is a testament to the state of the art in computer recording technology that the instruments used in each tune sound totally convincing, despite being of software origin.