DEL BARBER Set Releases 'Prairieography' Today

Acclaimed Canadian singer/songwriter/storyteller DEL BARBER will release his fourth album PRAIRIEOGRAPHY (True North Records) in the U.S. today, April 15. Hailing from the Canadian Prairies, the album is born out of a love for his home, its people and their stories. A Juno Award nominee and winner of the Western Canada Music Awards' "Independent Album of the Year" and "Roots Solo Recording of the Year," BARBER's new album is an earnest and moving earnest travelogue of a wandering troubadour, blanketed in warmth, subtle textures and true-to-life imperfections.

Produced by BARBER and his trusted steel player Bill Western, they used digital and analog recording techniques to channel the classic records of past heroes while still standing firmly on his own. In order to take his creative process to new heights, BARBER undertook a painstaking approach to achieve an organic sound: he recorded the reverb inside a 150-foot grain silo. "We had to disassemble the studio, scale the walls of the silo, hang microphones and a speaker," BARBER describes. "We amplified the instrument, like the pedal steel, into the silo and recorded again, then the track would have to be synched up with the song."

This creativity in production carries over into BARBER's songwriting style. He sings from the heart about his roots, telling tales from the road, offering incredibly personal and sincere observations about the world around him. "The landscape of the prairies has the most influential force on my songwriting," says BARBER. "My belief is that you can't separate people from place. The prairies themselves have a subtle beauty that few can appreciate with a little help and the people that work the land--be it grain, cattle--have deep connection with it and they rely on it for their survival. These are the people that I spend my time around and I guess who I am, and indeed how my songs get written."

There is an unexpected blend of old-time country and Cajun boogie on "Living With A Long Way to Go"; however BARBER maintains his characteristic storytelling style with "Farewell, God Bless You, Goodbye," a story about a young man trying to escape the hum of the city. "Walking In A Straight Line," written in the present tense, chronicles a trip he took to the Yukon from Winnipeg via the Rockies. Of "All That it Takes," BARBER enthuses, "Sometimes three chords and a light heart are enough to make a good song. We really wanted to incorporate a few songs, like this one, on the album that would lean on heavy grooves and simple soul-driven rhythm sections."

BARBER released his first album Where The City Ends in 2009 and tours North America heavily. Citing such influences as Dwight Yoakam, John Prine and Ian Tyson, BARBER has emerged as one of the next wave in Canada's proud tradition of songwriting talent. With PRAIRIEOGRAPHY, he has created a resonant collection of subtly poignant songs delivered with emotional heart.

Please check out this newly released EPK: http://youtu.be/ZDDAKkHk-F4.

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