Album Notes

About River Of January...

This album was written and recorded in the months immediately preceding the birth of our oldest child, William. It embodies the excitement I felt at the prospect of becoming a father, and is dedicated to my family.

The music on this album is all very spontaneous; I was quite inspired at the time, and the music flowed very freely. There is a passion and joy to it that I am thankful for having been able to capture -- no matter how many diapers I've had to change, no matter how many sleepless nights I've had to walk the floor with a colicky baby, this music has always been there to remind me of what's really central to being a parent -- the love one feels for one's children.

CD Baby, in an effort to better promote artist's music, asks musicians to name three other people whose music sounds something like their own: this is a very good feature, and allows CD Baby to link similar artists together, thereby increasing everyone's exposure. But I have been stymied in my attempts to answer this question regarding this CD -- I honestly haven't heard anything else like it. Most people call it jazz, but I think that's just because it's improvisational and they don't know what else to call it. CD Baby also asks artists to describe two genres that their music fits, and that too has proven almost impossible -- there are elements of many genres. So since I can't compare this CD to any other, I invite visitors to this page to listen to the sound clips and decide for themselves who to compare it to.

But regardless of who this does or doesn't sound like, I think most listeners will find it an expression of the joy and enthusiasm we all feel at sometime or other -- whether at the coming of a child or some other life-changing transition. I feel there's an underlying universal quality to this album that compliments its uniqueness.

I want to thank my long-time friend and fellow CD Baby artist Jill Anderson for her collaboration and vocal work on the title track, River Of January. Be sure to check out her superb folk albums here at CD Baby....

Paul Hosford


Painted Heart Music -- "Music Of The Heart"


Paul Hosford and his wife, Lori, own and operate their own record label, Painted Heart Music, LLC, which has released 10 full-length CDs and one CD single (as of March 2003). The Hosfords have operated a small recording studio (in which River Of January was recorded) for 16 years, utilizing vacuum tube equipment designed and built by Paul. Hosford plays a number of instruments besides those featured on Emergence, and has composed over 50 musical works. In addition to operating their studio, Hosford performs, teaches guitar, demonstrates stringed instruments in area schools, and tunes pianos.

Hosford's primary musical influence has been his father, jazz pianist and composer Frank Hosford, but he has been influenced by many other musicians on many instruments. His main focus has long been on composing and recording his own music (he made his first multi-instrumental recording at age 12), but he has performed in a number of settings, even including an impromptu performance on jazz-legend Ray Brown's string bass at Rick's Cafe' in Chicago when he was 19.

The Hosfords have chosen to reside in Hosford's home town of Albion, Nebraska, in order to raise their family in the nurturing environment this area affords. They have been utilizing the advantages of the Internet for some time now to pursue their musical endeavors from this non-traditional location. They invite you to visit their website (www.paintedheartmusic.com) to hear music from their other albums and learn more about their musical undertakings.


Thank you for your interest in this very special music.