DALE HEEREN
They Call Me A Weekend Cowboy
Exactly What I Am – Country Morning – I Wanna
Write A Love Song To You – Country Liivin’ – Jeanne – The Jones County
Waltz – Weekend Cowboy
I get excited when I get a CD from an old friend, revealing what
a terrific songwriter he is. Dale Heeren is one of our super
volunteers at the LeMars Festival. He does the sound at the Pioneer
Stage. He’s a real poet at heart, and he really knows what ‘love’ means
and what it stands for. He wrote all seven of these great songs, and I
can tell any vocalist looking for new material, you would be making a
sad mistake if you do not take the time to listen to what Dale Heeren is
writing, and what he is writing about. His melody lines match his
superb poetic writing. Another thing I did not know is how really
really good Dale is on the various instruments on this CD including the
banjo, as well as guitar, bass, keyboard, and lead guitar. I might ask
the same question that anybody else would ask Dale Heeren “What took you
so long to put this out?” Dale’s response to that “I did not meet
anyone who gave me the guidance to complete a project like this until I
met Mike Johnson of Roughshod Records. He has helped me, step by step,
through the processes necessary in today’s music world.” As I listen to
this remarkable ‘very real’ traditional country music project, I can
only reflect back to where ALL of the superstars in the traditional
country music world started. First a strong desire, secondly a really
good songwriter, and thirdly not busting down every door in the music
world to be heard, but patiently waiting for the right opportunity.
Mike Johnson has done a super good job putting Dale’s originals sound
like ‘hits’ that they surely will be in the right recording artist’s
repertoire. Everyone of these songs is a reflection of what ‘love’ is
all about. You have to know what I’m talking about, it’s something you
experience. You can’t fake it no matter how hard you might try. Dale’s
songs and stories of ‘love’ is imperative. It’s what is so incredibly
missing in today’s modern country music, which isn’t very country to
begin with. Dale lives in Monticello, Iowa. He has always wanted to
record and produce his own songs, and was a dance band leader for over
20 years, as well as being a founding member of the Kitty Creek Quartet.
This is the background he needed to produce an absolutely beautiful
traditional country music experience. I’ve already graded this
particular project with five stars. AND I would recommend to any
vocalist looking for some really really good material, you should find
this CD and take a listen. Original, different, real, entertaining, and
full of love. Off it goes to the Rural Roots Music Commission. A
special thank you to Mike Johnson, back there in Virginia, who put the
final touch on this incredibly well mixed and mastered project. Thanks
Mike for a job well done. You should be very proud of Dale Heeren, you
both worked together so incredibly well.
www.music-savers.com – RECORD REVIEW BY Bob Everhart, President, National Traditional Country Music Association for Country Music News International