BROADCASTS.com

b'Willie Nile is currently in the midst of a creative renaissance that\\u2019s produced some of the most compelling music of his 35-year career. The tradition continues with his CD American Ride.The CD is being released on Loud and Proud Records, where Nile becomes the first artist released under the label\\u2019s new deal with RED Distribution.\\u201cIt\\u2019s pretty rockin\\u2019 over all, but there are some left turns and right turns along the way,\\u201d Nile says of the album, which was fan-funded through Pledgemusic.com. \\u201cThere are songs about the rights of man, songs about freedom, songs about love and hate, songs about loss, songs about God and the absence of God, and songs about standing up for your fellow man. It\\u2019s upbeat and full of life. I\\u2019m thrilled with how it came out.\\u201dAmerican Ride offers a bracing set of 11 original compositions, and one well-chosen cover, that rank with the catchiest and most vivid music that Nile\\u2019s ever delivered. From the everyday wisdom of \\u201cLife on Bleecker Street\\u201d and \\u201cSunrise in New York City\\u201d to the broader observations of \\u201cThis Is Our Time\\u201d and \\u201cHoly War\\u201d to the rock \\u2019n\\u2019 roll abandon of \\u201cSay Hey\\u201d and the road-tripping title track. Several of American Ride\\u2019s recurring themes come into focus on the last two songs, \\u201cThe Crossing\\u201d and \\u201cThere\\u2019s No Place Like Home,\\u201d which end the album on a note of humanistic uplift. Another highlight is a fiery reading of Jim Carroll\\u2019s \\u201cPeople Who Died,\\u201d recorded as a tribute to both Carroll, who passed away in 2009, and to Nile\\u2019s late brother John. American Ride features backup from Nile\\u2019s live band guitarist Matt Hogan, bassist Johnny Pisano, drummer Alex Alexander, and Nile on guitar & piano guest appearances by Eagles\\u2019 guitarist Steuart and New York singer-songwriters James Maddock & Leslie Mendelson.'