ED KILBOURNE HAS DONE A WORLD OF GOOD !

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TINY HEARTS

HOLD ON TO THAT HEART

WHEN YOU SAY NOTHING AT ALL

THE WOOD SONG

BARE TO THE BONE

HOLY NOW

FAMILIAR EMBRACE

ECHOES

BLOWING IN THE WIND

SOME OF SHELLY'S BLUES

SIMPLE THINGS

ICARUS ASCENDING

WHAT WILL JESUS DO

REMEMBER THIS DAY

Liner Notes From The Grateful Ed

In the winter of 2007, I began to lay down the first tracks of what was to become "A World Of Good", my 23rd album. The final mix was finished in September, a six month project. What a long, strange and interesting journey it has been from my first LP, "I Know Where I'm Going" in 1964. Twenty three albums. Impressive. Of course, it would be more impressive if it were 23 different albums. But hey, 23 albums. And we have some left. If these notes had a laugh track, you'd hear some here.

Though I've penned a few tunes over the years, I've always been more of a song-collector and cover artist than a writer. I am deeply in debt to so many artists and poets who put human experience to music. And I am proud of this new collection. It is drawn from the performances of favorites like the Indigo Girls, Pierce Pettis, Dan Fogelberg and Alison Krauss, as well as tunes written by Tom Davidson the tunesmith from Cheraw, SC and leader of a trio I sit in with from time to time, "Davidson Cafe".

The song that kicks the album off was written by Keith Elder, a singer/songwriter and minister from Alabama. Keith and I have been friends for years and this piece of his has had a special place in my concerts and sermons paired with my story, "There's More To Life Than Just Fishing". Keith also wrote "Still", one of the finest songs of reconciliation and faith that I've ever heard. I first recorded "Still" on "Beyond Belief" and also included it on the more recent greatest-hits album, "The Best Of Ed". "Tiny Hearts" speaks of those we marginalize by design or denial, people outside our cliques and circles, a homeless old man, an "uncool" teen, a young man dying of AIDS, and reminds us of the words of an innkeeper back at that first Christmas, "There's just no room for you." Thank you, Keith, for teaching the truth with your songs.

The next selection on "A World Of Good", is Pierce Pettis' "Hold On To That Heart", a piece I was first attracted to because of the line in the last verse, "I saw you being born, you'll probably see me die", a life time condensed into one poignant and potent phrase. While my oldest daughter, Jenny, cries every time she hears it, I didn't include the song to make her feel bad. I wanted to pass on to her the celebration of hope that comes when you give yourself to life and to others. She gets it.

Life's most wonderful experiences are beyond words. "When You Say Nothing At All", says it all. A sweet tune, a simple thought. Love is a language of it's own, best heard and understood by heart. I love the way Alison Krauss does this one. Where's a good dobro player when you need him?

Next comes the "Wood Song". The Indigo Girls, two artists that have defined excellence in music as well as elegance and integrity in their performances and lives, did this tune years ago and I've carried it with me waiting for the right time to record it and then use it with a story. The idea of life being a journey toward goals that we get to in zigs and zags, or in sailing metaphor, by tacking back and forth, is told exactly and well in this poem. I do love it. Emily Saliers, who wrote the song, is said to have grown up around my music. Don Saliers, her dad, the dean of church musicians everywhere, told me that some of my early LP's are around their house somewhere. They're around my house somewhere too.

One of the pleasant discoveries of recent years, has been the music of Quaker songstress, Carrie Newcomer. Her album "Betty's Diner" is on my top-10 list and should be on yours. She has a gifted way with words and concepts, making her compositions the best of stories. Her "Bare To The Bone" is a simple and beautiful declaration of identity and intent, my mission-statement set to music.

Coming home from a gig late one night, I was cruising to XM radio when I heard a snippet of the tune, "Holy Now". I was quick enough to hit "record" and later traced the artist, Peter Mayer, to his website. I learned that he was a member of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefers Band, a contemporary un-christian band of renown. Yes, I am a parrot head. But there was no mention of any album with the "holy" song on it. So I "googled" the song instead of the artist and found another Peter Mayer. Not in Jimmy's band but a winner none the less. If "Bare To The Bone" is my mission statement, "Holy Now" is my testimony. I believe.

I met Tom Davidson when he was 14. I was 27. He was shoved forward by members of his church youth group, forced to play one of his tunes for the visiting folk-singer. I have been a fan ever since. Tom celebrated his 50th birthday with us in the summer of '06. Life has come at both of us -- fast. His music has filled my life and my albums for years. No one writes as well or plays with such depth and passion. "Familiar Embrace" is a lover's pilgrimage and my poem for Kathleen on this album. "Simple Things" has opened a thousand concerts for me since I first recorded it in the early '80's on "A Place To Watch The Rain". It was time to do it again. "Remember This Day" that closes the album, was added especially for our friends in Hope Town in the Bahamas, Karen & Robert Lowe. Thank you, Tom, as always, for the gift of your life and the generous sharing of your songs.

Dar William's "Echoes" is not just a powerful anthem, it is a movement. From the concept of this song, the consequences of our actions, has come activism -- individuals and groups more dedicated to multiplying the effects of good decisions and behavior in the world. Her life and music are consistent with her writing. I'm a big fan of all three.

The answers to life's deepest and most difficult questions are, at their root, spiritual. That's what Jesus told Nicodemus late one night long ago and unknowingly perhaps, that's what Bob Dylan told us all in 1964 when he wrote "Blowing In The Wind". Bob's music has defined a generation, my generation. So the next generation wouldn't miss it, I wanted to bring it back one more time. Listen to Dylan, kids. And Jesus too. There really are answers in the wind.

When I moved to Crested Butte, Colorado in the early 70's, I was chasing the music of John Denver, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The song by the Dirt Band, "Some Of Shelly's Blues" was a nightly ritual in bars and restaurants around the ski slopes. Years later I learned that it had been written by Michael Nesmith, one of the Monkees. As in hey, hey, we're the Monkees? Nesmith turned out to be a fine composer and had many tunes to his credit along with a career in ground-breaking video and creative TV. Who would have thunk it? I put the song on the album because it's fun to do -- no other reason. And that's reason enough.

There is a Greek legend about a young man who gains the gift of flight by attaching wings to his back with wax. But alas, his new found freedom spawns a pride that takes him flying higher and higher, closer and closer to the sun. Finally, the wax holding the wings softens in the heat and melts and Icarus spirals to his end. Pride goeth before a fall, and all that. You know the story. The song about Icarus by Dan Fogelberg is about the rise, not the fall. It is a hope filled song about flight. The lust for flight has found me flying sailplanes for over 3000 hours of soaring delight since 1968. "Icarus Ascending" is my tribute to my flying friends everywhere, but most especially, Woody Woodward, who has been off my wing (my far right wing) for over 30 years.

The one original tune on this album is "What Will Jesus Do". And it's not all that original. Tom Davidson wrote the tune. The words came to me one day while driving behind a car displaying a bumper sticker that read, "In case of rapture, this car will be driverless!". A sobering thought, that. I'm one of those who believe that Jesus has already come and we missed it. The "left behind" culture of fundamentalism is as cruel as it is false. It was folks like them that nailed Jesus the first time and they're still at it. So I wrote them a song. They may not be listening but I wrote it anyway. In case of rapture, I'll be driving your car.

There you go. I wanted to do someone a world of good and it turned out to be you. Meditate on the songs as you listen and share what you learn. With others. And with me.

-- the grateful ed

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