Nine out of the ten tracks included on Daryl Mosley’s new album Long Days & Short Stories are penned by Mosley alone, and he even claims credit for the bonus eleventh cut. It’s par for the course in the life of this prolific songwriting talent. It’s a measure of the respect he commands from his peers and contemporaries that Mosley’s fourth release for Pinecastle Records features a handful of guest contributors. Pianist Sarah Davidson, famed vocal duo Jeff & Sheri Easter, and the band New Tradition are among those playing a part in realizing Mosley’s songs. Instrumental performances abound throughout Long Days & Short Stories, providing Mosley’s unquestionable gifts with the best possible backing.
“When the Good Old Days Were New” has a brisk, forceful pace. However, Mosley expresses far from aggressive sentiments. It’s a down-beat elegiac reflection on seemingly simpler times for both the speaker, the masterfully sketched-out characters, and the nation at large. Jamie Harper’s fiddle playing leaves a deep impression on the tune. Mosley tempers the tempo for Long Days & Short Stories’ second song. “Everything That’s Right” is a song about keeping perspective when facing life’s insults and slights. It’s about remaining as true as possible to the principles first grounding you in life. Tony Wray’s banjo and six-string guitar flourishes are especially potent without sounding ostentatious.
Authored alongside talented songwriter Rick Lang, “When I Can’t Reach Up” is emotionally affecting from beginning to end. Mosley, Lang, and the musicians’ patient development is key to its success. However, the unfettered sincerity of its vulnerability and longing is the core. It doesn’t matter if you’re a believer or not. “When I Can’t Reach Up” portrays human needs with laudable sensitivity that goes beyond dogma. God remains at the forefront of Mosley’s thoughts with the song, “I Can Pray”. The arrangement steers him and his bandmates back into a much faster line of attack. He continues conveying the same inviting warmth defining earlier Long Days & Short Stories tracks. His absolute avoidance of any self-indulgence focuses the collection; songs like “I Can Pray” get in, get under your skin and leave without overstaying their welcome.
The single “Me and Mr. Howard” is one of Mosley’s more imaginative moments. The title refers to the pairing of Jesse James and Mosley’s hometown of Waverly, Tennessee. Mosley builds the song around a striding musical arrangement and a crackling narrative. It’s arguably the album’s storytelling highlight. Mosley’s songwriting achievements are numerous, but the finale, “You Never Gave Up On Me”, has the gentle upward lift of the greatest classic country, and the surrounding instrumentation manifests the right amount of presence. One rewarding turn after another helps Daryl Mosley’s fourth solo release, Long Days & Short Stories, stand out in a crowded musical scene. Fundamentals and abiding values fuel each of the album’s ten cuts with otherworldly artistry, and you finish an initial listen virtually certain that there are few better 2024 releases, in any genre.
You won’t regret giving it a chance. Daryl Mosley’s gifts are evident throughout Long Days and Short Stories.
Mindy McCall
