Fields of Promise

• Track Listing

Powerful songwriting, a passion for justice, and a voice that can sing virtually anything make Dave Crossland one of the most talented and versatile singer-songwriters on the circuit today. Dave moves deftly between driving passion and whimsy while striking the socially relevant and the starkly personal. The Boston Globe describes Dave's songs 'fiery an alluring,' testing 'the American dream against the American reality' with 'a naturalistic sweep, a panoramic Americanism, that set them apart.' 'Dave Crossland is the best singer-songwriter I've heard in years,' says legendary songwriter John Stewart, the former Kingston Trio member and author of 'Daydream Believer.' He included Dave as the fourth member of his group Darwin's Army on on their 1999 release, which was highlighted in Billboard Magazine. Dave's own recordings have been rated among the top ten acoustic albums on several radio stations across the US,including National Public Radio's 'The Best of River City Folk,' and 'Music Americana' in Washington, D.C. Dave's music has been featured in Dirty Linen, published in Sing Out! And included on 'The Best of Unsigned Acoustic Music 1998,' by A-2-Z Music of New York City. Dave has opened for artists such as Dar Williams, Don McLean, Johnathan Edwards, Odetta, and has shared the stage with Richie Havens, Nanci Griffith, John Stewart and others of international acclaim. On 'Fields of Promise,' Dave weaves stories and imagery into poetry with such grace and power that the traditional lines between personal and political, acoustic and mainstream, no longer apply. Among the highlights of 'Fields of Promise' are 'Swimming in the Stars,' a transforming reflection of innocence and young love, and 'Matthew Shepard,' an intense reflection on the 1998 murder of a gay college student in Wyoming which delves deep into mankind's history of inhumanity. Crossland's recording of the standard 'Shenandoah,' recorded 'live' at Club Passim in Cambridge, Mass., brings new life to the old ballad without compromising the song's venerable spirit. Featured on this recording are Viktor Krauss on bass, Larry Atamanuik on drums, and Richard Bennet, Johnny Hiland, and Garnet Rogers on electric guitar.