The Promise of the Sowing

"There is a sweetness and an elegance to Dan Schatz's music, a deep reverence for tradition that reminds us why we fell in love with folk music in the first place. Listening to the quietly restrained instrumental and vocal skill with which he approaches each song, the unhurried grace and respect he bestows on every person about whom he sings, we are reminded that it truly is a gift to be simple. In this magnificent album, Dan passes that gift on us."
- Si Kahn

One of the last releases from the Folk-Legacy label, Promise of the Sowing is an album of traditional, new, and original songs from DC-area folksinger and songwriter Dan Schatz. Inspired in part by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the album centers on themes of environmental justice, particularly as it intersects with agriculture, food production, and the labor of those doing such work. Self-accompanied on a variety of familiar and unfamiliar instruments (including laud and cittern), Schatz’ skill as a singer, multi-instrumentalist, and keen interpreter of folk tradition is bountifully demonstrated across the album’s 15 tracks.

Track Listing

101	The Promise of Sowing	Dan Schatz	04:04
102	Gone Gonna Rise Again	Dan Schatz	03:31
103	Boll Weevil Holler	Dan Schatz	04:02
104	Eighty Acre Farm	Dan Schatz	04:05
105	Doney Gal	Dan Schatz	05:27
106	Something in the Rain	Dan Schatz	04:40
107	In the Old Days	Dan Schatz	04:23
108	Poor Man	Dan Schatz	05:41
109	Ain't No More Cane on the Brazos	Dan Schatz	03:24
110	Cluck Old Hen	Dan Schatz	02:20
111	Yea Ho, Little Fish	Dan Schatz	03:45
112	1800 and Froze to Death	Dan Schatz	03:40
113	The Kind Land	Dan Schatz	05:02
114	One Last Look Behind	Dan Schatz	04:16
115	Now is the Cool of the Day	Dan Schatz	05:22