Rees to release 'freshman' project at concert Saturday

Almost 10 years have passed since Jackson singer/songwriter Doug Rees put out his first CD. But hearing him talk about that effort now one would think his upcoming release "Wings of Father Time" is his first album of recorded music.

Rees says he's changed a lot in the past decade, he hopes for the good. This new album, to be released Saturday night at a special concert at the Garden Gallery, was written by a changed, more mature artist than the Rees of the late 1990s.

"Now there are a little over 100 songs I've written, and it's just now starting to click, to be honest with you," Rees said.

Rees, a 49-year-old Jackson resident who spent two years pursuing a songwriting career in Nashville, Tenn., starting in 2000, collected some of the best of those songs to assemble the 15 tracks on "Wings of Father Time." The songs started with Rees and an acoustic guitar -- the common configuration he uses for live shows. But when he took the songs to the studio, they became full band pieces with the help of bassists Brad Graham and Ken Keller, who did the production, keyboardist Kent Goodson, who tours with George Jones, and drummer Gary Nunnally.

In a departure from his typical live setup, the full band -- Graham on bass, Roger Blankenship on keyboard and Randy Werner on percussion -- will join Rees for the Saturday concert featuring songs from the new disc.

The songs range from humorous to serious and contemplative, from rock to country with dashes of folk and old school rhythm and blues thrown in.

Producer Keller says the best way to describe the music is "trucker folk with rock 'n' roll musicians."

Rees admits his sound is hard to pin down, saying the best way to describe the sounds on "Wings of Father Time" is Americana.

"To genre-ize my type of music, I wish I could tell you," says Rees, who was first inspired to pick up a song after hearing Jimi Hendrix. Even though he's been playing since 1979, Rees says "my musical career is just now starting."

But Rees has already gained the respect of many local music fans, including Tunes at Twilight and Underberg House Concert organizer Larry Underberg, who helped set up Saturday's concert and gained the support of several sponsors for the free show.

Rees has performed on the local stage for several years, but didn't record this CD until last year. During the recording process, the humble Rees says the songs evolved from his writing them on acoustic guitar to the full band recording found on the disc.

"It's just you, your guitar and something in your mind," Rees said. "You finish it, think it's done, then you take it to the creative people, and it becomes almost something else."

The 15 songs on "Wings of Father Time" are his most polished, best work to date, Rees hopes. And he hopes the songs will speak to listeners with a real, human message.

"Throughout the process of the year, things became easier, because I found honesty," Rees said.

Saturday's performance will be the first live show Rees has performed with the musicians who played on his record, but after recent rehearsals he thinks the performance will go well. Keller will be on hand to record that night, and the concert could turn into a live disc.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182