Album Notes

Currently breaking through to pop/rock consciousness with Better Me, his compelling and heartfelt but frequently rockin’ debut EP, singer/songwriter Ed Daniels will no doubt draw on his budding success story to inspire other struggling artists who feel stuck in a day job that takes precious hours and energy away from pursuing their musical dream.

With musical influences ranging from John Denver and Counting Crows to Dave Matthews and Jason Mraz, it’s not surprising that Daniels is poised to be an influential singer/songwriter himself. The key for him is honesty, and most of the tracks on Better Me are reflections of past relationships and memories from the perspective of one who has learned from his mistakes and gained wisdom along the way. While he considers himself a romantic writer, he takes a harder look at the world on the opening track “7 Days,” in which he somehow finds optimism to “run the human race” even after all the bad and frustrating news of any given day.

Daniels gets to the romance on the tender and graceful “Lower The Moon,” a “Love will make you do the wildest things” kind of song inspired by Jimmy Stewart’s “lasso the moon” speech in “It’s A Wonderful Life.” After the title track, which is about striving to be “somebody better for somebody else,” Daniels taps beautifully into his folk-y acoustic side on “I Can’t Wait To Dream Of You,” which was originally inspired by thinking about his unborn baby while his wife was pregnant. “Behind Her Smile” is a mid-tempo rocker about a person’s true talents and personality that lie beneath the surface of what the world sees. This is followed by the haunting and image rich piano driven ballad “The Rest Of Us,” in which he reflects upon the emotional baggage and unfulfilled dreams left behind after a breakup. Better Me wraps on an upbeat note with “The Addiction,” a high spirited country flavored pop/rocker about the way new love can take our lives over completely—and for the good.

“After so many years having fun but basically knocking around in bands and playing other people’s material,” says Daniels, “I’m really excited about the opportunity to finally get my music out there and let people hear my songs. While I’m looking forward to getting back onstage and performing for people, what’s been really gratifying is being able to exhale after finishing a song I am really proud of. Everything starts out with a cool idea, a couple good lines, a few great lines, and then you have to figure out what to do with them. The stress creeps in as the pressure mounts to turn those thoughts into a great song—and then when it happens, it’s the most incredible thing a songwriter can experience. It’s such a wonderful feeling listening back to it when it’s all produced, hearing all the little nuances and knowing I’ve truly given my best.”