Danny Schmidt is, quite simply, one of the finest artists I have ever heard.

On a recent Saturday morning, one of the more eclectic local radio shows played a song that caught my attention. It was “Cliff Song”, my introduction to Danny Schmidt, and it left me wanting to hear more. Before long, I had purchased his most recent release, Little Grey Sheep, from CD Baby and was giving it prominent playtime. If you think the best singer-songwriters come from Texas, this CD offers further proof for that theory. In eleven songs – and the requisite bonus track – Schmidt makes a case for his place alongside singer-songwriters such as Townes Van Zandt, Todd Snider, Greg Brown, Robert Earl Keen, and even Leonard Cohen. Schmidt is an Austin native with an evident way with both words and guitar strings. His voice has a bit of a twang, but that just makes the harmony vocalists stand out more. Put together, the package he presents immediately draws the listener in. In “Cliff Song”, he sings of a tentative relationship, “I showed her her name engraved on my heart / She said there must be some mistake / I tried to invite myself into her room / But there were things that she was scared I would break.” He shares his philosophy on life in “Company of Friends”. It starts with the lines, “When I die, let them judge me by my company of friends / Let them know me as the footprints that I left upon the sand.” Then he concludes with, “I believe in living smitten / I believe all hearts will mend / I believe our book is written / By our company of friends.” While I hadn’t heard of Danny Schmidt before, Little Grey Sheep, it turns out this is his fifth album. And, it’s left me smitten and looking forward to numbers six, seven, and beyond.

LOVE Trouble Comes Calling! The line "trouble finds what trouble knows" has made it's way into my life except that I've replaced trouble with such words as joy, gratitude, respect, LOVE... Thank you Danny Schmidt for giving us music to think about...raw and beautiful...you are truely a poet and I can't wait to lay eyes and ears upon you in real time.

I instantly fell in love with Danny's rhymes with reason when I first heard his music on Whole Wheat Radio. But this album is the one that did it for me! And when I listened to "Company of Friends", I said to myself..."Yes, this guy truly understands about life, and he isn't afraid to tell it." Anyone who has a heart will automatically connect with this album...a big thumbs up!