Endorsements:

“T. Edwin Doss, like a character straight out of a Bernard Malamud novel, is a natural resource for emotional purity and artful craft. From the lighthearted and clever to the wholeheartedly savory, his songs take you on a natural trip to all your favorite places while his singing is on par with the sincerity of his storytelling. It’s warm, vivid and inviting while cutting through the din of existential navel-gazers as does warm sunlight on a windowsill.”
 
~ Jon Carroll, 2013

"T. Edwin Doss is a very gifted writer and performer who will have you laughing one minute and crying the next. His years of experience in a variety of venues have made him a mature, seasoned, craftsman, writing songs that go straight to the heart. The magic happens every time T. Edwin picks up his guitar."

~ Bob McLeod
   Founder and Director
   Our Father's Arms/ Dugger Mountain Music Hall 

Review:

Maryland-based veteran singer-songwriter T. Edwin Doss just recently released his sophomore release, a self-titled seven-track EP via his own independent imprint, Stagecoach Wheel Publishing.  Doss taught himself to sing and play guitar by ear at the age of eleven and then started writing his own songs while in college.  And soon after he had finished college, he started to really focus on his songwriting and was fortunate to open for the late Townes Van Zandt and the likes of Hank Williams Jr. on the strength of his unique blend of folk and country-leaning Americana and his strong, world-weary lyrical storytelling.  With T. Edwin’s smooth, almost baritone voice and delivery, it is easy to get wrapped up in the emotions of the interesting characters portrayed in his songs, so real in fact, that it almost feels like they are friends of yours and you are finding out secrets about them that you never knew.
      
Standout track “One-Eyed Welina” opens the EP with some excellent country-fried electric guitar runs and soloing along with a humorous and catchy chorus in the vein of Charlie Daniels and some close knit male/female vocal harmonies for the perfect introduction to Doss’s music.  In the studio, he was assisted by some very talented friends and studio musicians that helped him bring his musical vision to fruition.  And like a true storyteller, Doss is not one dimensional as he seasons his songs with both humor and heartache and the touching “Mama’s Song” follows with an easily relatable sentiment of respect for his mother and mothers in general with pretty violin throughout and a shuffling wire-brush drum beat and it also is the perfect vehicle to showcase T. Edwin’s strong vocals.

The ballad of the bunch “On A Cold, Cold Christmas Day” also stands out with a weepy, heart-tugging string section and twinkling piano along with steady acoustic guitar strumming and a marching drum rhythm, as T. Edwin weaves an aching yet patriotic tale of love and loss during Christmas time that also took first prize in the Lyric Category of the 2011 Great American Song Contest. 

“One More Chance” on the other hand, is more upbeat with swelling vintage organs and jangly guitars and plucky banjo figures that really showcases Doss’s impeccable ability to arrange a song without excess and yet without a feeling of “missing anything”.  The ethereal folk ballad “Ghost Of Jenny Hill” is highlighted by a haunting, train whistle melody and a talk/sung tale of drifters, sailors and ghosts that has a timeless quality, sounding like a long lost traditional folk tune.  Another standout “Jessie Brown” features a head-nodding beat, a cyclical finger-style guitar riff and some instantly hummable harmonica soloing.  Closing out the EP is the piano-led “I’ll Be Coming Home Soon” which features a soaring and emotional chorus that will leave you wanting more. 
     
Singer-songwriter T. Edwin Doss and his most recent release, prove that he is a worthy songwriter and singer in the over-crowded Americana scene but it’s his unique, folk-based storytelling and knack for arranging his songs with precision and care that should make him stand out from the crowd.    

Artist: T. Edwin Doss
Album:  T. Edwin Doss Americana Singer Songwriter EP
Review by: Justin Kreitzer