An early highlight of 2024, back in January, was Dean Owens’ “After the Rain”. As we head towards the end of the year, we’ve got another great song from the acclaimed Scottish singer-songwriter. “Spirit of Us” finds Owens in fine form. His wonderful song-craft and atmospheric writing are, once again, in evidence and his voice is carried along by a bittersweet but beautiful melody. Owens is joined by a host of talented musicians, including Calexico’s John Convertino on drums and vibraphone, who all add rich depths to the song.
“Spirit of Us” is an old fan-favourite of Owens, given new life here. It remains a beautifully romantic ballad with a melancholy tune at its heart. Owens says of the song: “I wrote ‘Spirit Of Us’ around the time we found out my wife was pregnant. There’s a little nod to one of our favourite films in here too – ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’. It was also one of my mum’s favourites, so there’s an added poignancy to it now, with her passing a couple of months ago.” In the accompanying video, filmed around Dean’s new home in the Scottish borders by long term collaborator Ruth Barrie of Waltzer Films, we see Owens alone: walking through sweeping landscapes, looking through a darkened window illuminated by candlelight, and strumming his guitar by a camp fire. The lonesome images reflect the sorrowful sound of his song.
The single is from Owens’ new “Sacri Cuori” EP, the final volume of “The Ridge Trilogy” of EPs released in advance of his next album “Spirit Ridge”. The album was recorded at Crinale Studio, Emilia-Romagna, Italy with producer and multi-instrumentalist Don Antonio, who also delivers guitars, lap steel, mellotron and piano. The official launch of the new record will be at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections on Sunday 2nd February 2025 – something to look forward to next year.
