John Moreland, the Tulsa, Okla.-based singer-songwriter whose notable fans range from Miranda Lambert to Rachel Maddow, recorded his first solo album in 2011, Earthbound Blues. Moreland says he started out playing in hardcore punk bands before he started listening to music his father introduced him to, mostly folk and country.

Unlike most miserable singer-songwriters, there's very little self-pity in Moreland's writing, and there are numerous chronicles here of a man trying to reach beyond his own emotions to understand the lives of the people around him.

Recorded from September 2010 - March 2011 in Choctaw, Oklahoma.

Musicians:
John Moreland, vocals, guitars, bass
Matt Dylan Street, pianos, organ
Steve Walden, drumset
Ali Harter, Samantha Crain, Kelly Johnson, backup vocals on "Ancient Youth"