Greg Dayton - Sailing For The Sun (2020)

Sailing for the Sun, is the second solo album by singer/songwriter Greg Dayton, produced and mixed by Adrian Harpham, and mastered by Greg Calbi in New York City. This versatile singer/songwriter/guitarist was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame shortly after the self-release of his debut solo album, Lonesome Road in 2016. He began work on the new album in January of 2018, taking his time to create an album in the old school sense of the word, conceived with vinyl in mind where each song counts and the song order has meaning.

While Dayton’s guitar playing has strong blues influences, his songs draw upon a wide range of styles in the spirit of the great songwriters of classic rock, folk, and soul. The 12 songs on Sailing for the Sun are full of contagious grooves with intricately detailed arrangements with elite horns and soulful backing vocals. From the hard hitting and funky to acoustic and intimate, all the songs are united by Dayton’s honest voice, hook-filled lyricism, soulful guitar layering and a powerful rhythm section led by producer Adrian Harpham’s creative drumming. Covering a broad musical landscape, the songs dive into themes of confronting and accepting change through loves lost and found and the quest for a way forward.

The new album features Dayton’s present band which has been his regular lineup in New York City since 2016. It features producer Adrian Harpham on the drums (known for his work with New Orleans greats such as Henry Butler, and Leo Nocentelli of the Meters), Anthony Robustelli on the keys (Bo Diddley, Gloria Gaynor, and more), Dave Inniss on bass (Jazzhole), backing vocalists Clayton Bryant (Luther Vandross, Valerie Simpson, Elton John, Roger Daltrey...), Towera Smith (Silverchair), and Nia Drummond, with special guests young vocalist Anson Jones (5-time Downbeat Student Music Award winner) on two tracks, and the elite horn section from the Levon Helm Band and Little Feat’s 50th anniversary tour led by Steve Bernstein (trumpet) with Erik Lawrence (bari/ tenor sax), and Doug Weiselman (tenor sax).