Newmarket, Ontario-Based Folk Roots Singer-Songwriter John Dawson Offers A Reflective Look In “Life Just Came to Me”
There are times in life when you’re not sure what direction to go or where to turn, but, looking back, you realize what happened was just the way life or fate planned it. That notion is captured perfectly with “Life Just Came to Me,” a gentle, toe-tapping single courtesy of Newmarket, Ontario-based folk roots musician John Dawson from his album Outlier.
“If the album Outlier tells any kind of story, then ‘Life Just Came to Me’ is its opening chapter,” Dawson says of the single. “The so-called ‘ordinary world,’ if you will. Beginning from the awareness of life as it was and not as it is, this song ‘sets the table’ for the ensuing study of change, loss, and hope that follows in each of the songs. The piece is intentional in its simplicity. Almost as if it is coming from a moment of quiet reflection on a front porch (thank you Mr. Sexsmith for that image).”
Dawson, of course, is speaking of acclaimed singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith. Sexsmith, who has had his music praised and covered by Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, and Nick Lowe among countless others, also lauds the single. “John Dawson’s song ‘Life Just Came to Me’ has a lovely front porch picking style with lyrics that are simple yet philosophical and openhearted,” Sexsmith says of the track.
“Life Just Came to Me,” written by Dawson, is a masterpiece in terms of performance and economy of words in the vein of Sexsmith’s better-known signatures. Sounding exactly as if he’s on his front porch, Dawson offers some great guitar picking while bassist Manny DeGrandis provides a steadying presence throughout. It’s a beautifully barren approach that shines thanks to Dawson’s words and music. Fans of John Hiatt, Rodney Crowell, Lyle Lovett, and Bruce Cockburn would be wise to seek this jewel out.
“Ostensibly, ‘Life Just Came to Me’ is intended to provide a musical starting point from which Outlier proceeds as it explores the navigation of change that each of us will invariably face in life,” Dawson says. “With each song moving and shifting between subtleties of musical moods and lyrical themes, they can all be seen in juxtaposition to this joyful, if not slightly somber opening movement. ‘Life Just Came to Me’ is an invitation to move further into the story: if that is how it was, what happened, and how did it all work out?”
“Life Just Came to Me” is the latest single from Dawson’s new studio album Outlier. The nine-track effort, produced by Adam Brunner, features Dawson with drummer and percussionist Anthony D’Angela and DeGrandis. Highlights of this consistently credible offering include the pristine “Things I Meant to Say,” the simple but stunning “Mend In My Ways” and the jazzy, roots instrumental “Merry and Pippin,” which shows another side of Dawson’s musical depth.
Dawson, who besides his music also co-hosts a weekly professional wrestling radio program called Ringside Heat, cites inspirations such as Eric Clapton, the late George Harrison, Paul Simon, and Knopfler for crafting and shaping his musical career. He’s also a graduate of the Humber College Music program and graduated from York University with degrees in both Education and Music.
Now with “Life Just Came to Me” and high praise from noted lyrical craftsmen, John Dawson has another pensive and pretty single to add to his continually growing chest of musical treasures.