With a rich, raspy voice and a remarkable ear for lyrics and composition, prolific songwriter Bill Scorzari independently released The Crosswinds of Kansas Aug 19. The album was co-produced by Neilson Hubbard and was recorded in part at Scorzari’s studio in Huntington, NY—First Thunder— before bringing it to Nashville (after pandemic restrictions eased) to Skinny Elephant Recording—with a cast of incredible musicians. Born and raised in New York, Bill transformed his life as a New York Trial Lawyer to a new life as a full-time musician. This is his 4th album released, following Just the Same (2014), Through These Waves (2017), and Now I’m Free (2019)—-all independently released to critical acclaim.
The Crosswinds of Kansas was released to radio in mid-July and debuted on the Folk DJ Monthly Chart for July at #36 and climbed to #19 on August 10th on the Alternative Country Specialty Chart. The album is well received by the press with nods from Glide Magazine, The Boot, Americana Highways, Music Mecca, DittyTV among others.
Much of The Crosswinds of Kansas was inspired by his three-month-long Now I’m Free Tour in 2019—which had become a journey of self discovery, with Bill ultimately arriving at a new awareness and desire to adapt and continue to create. He had made his way from the east coast, toward, and around the west coast and back, traveling under two full moons, visiting waterfalls, hiking, climbing, pondering and processing his life experiences of loss, gain and change, and at times composed haiku as a way to pass the time on the long drives between performances, until the tour came to an unexpected early end when Bill learned of the sudden decline in the health of his then 94 year old mother back home in NY.
His journey home, which included travel through some treacherous crosswinds over the Kansas highways, was folded into the story told within the electric-guitar-driven opening track (and first single released) “I-70 East” and its accompanying music video.
Upon his return to Huntington, NY, Bill spent the early days of the Covid lockdown finishing the songs for the album, building out his studio, gathering the right instruments to fit the mood, and caring for his ailing mother. He also learned Navajo from new friends that he met when commissioning a Native American flute to be able to recite his lyrics in the language for the closing track, “Tryin’, Tryin’, Tryin’, Tryin’”—a song with an intriguing backstory.
Scorzari draws inspiration from a full palette of moods and emotions and the 13 original tracks on The Crosswinds of Kansas have many stories to tell. On the lighter side he presents, the transcendent “All Behind Me Now,” the life-affirming “1, 2, 3, Jump,” the fast-moving acoustic jam of “A Ghost, My Hat and My Coat,” and the rhythmic, semi-autobiographical, sound-collage that is “The Measure of a Man.”
With a heavier brush stroke, Scorzari recounts a hard tale of the destruction of a relationship in the rootsy “The Broken Heart Side of the Road” (the album’s 2nd single and music video). “Multnomah Falls” weaves a chronicle of a rainy day’s hike into an account of the trials of change and transcendence set to cascading mandolin lines. The orchestral “Oceans In Your Eyes” recounts a perilous navigation through an enchanted captivation, and in “Patience and Time” he evokes a haunting nostalgia with wistful melody and lyrical promise. Nostalgia reemerges in the hypnotic, plaintive “Try, Try Again,” and prescience triumphs over uncertainty in the folksy “Not Should’ve Known.” With a mix of contemporary and Indigenous instruments, “Inside My Heart” tells a melancholy story of an unrequited love.
What Folks Are Saying:
“His thoughtful, cinematically shaped songs continue to resonate after repeated listens… To be sure, one needs solitude to appreciate his literate craft, a blend of prose and poetry put to music, a Walt Whitman of sorts for our times… With Scorzari, one hangs not just onto every word, but just about every breath (which unbelievably, you can hear.) Strap yourself in. This album runs for 71 minutes, and some are so emotionally devastating that it’s almost too much to take in at once. Allow yourself the time. The music is mostly surprisingly upbeat even when he is singing about pain and darker times.” —Glide Magazine, Jim Hynes
“It’s the voice of someone who brings a variety of experienced life stories into focus and one that draws you into the heart of each song… It is the kind of music that envelops you” —Lonesome Highway, Stephen Rapid
“The instrumentation and production are superb, while his weather-worn voice embodies the heartbreak and hope in the finely crafted lyrics.”
—KPFA Radio, Tim Lynch
“Singer, songwriter, Americana hypnotist Bill Scorzari effortlessly captivates with his forthcoming The Crosswinds of Kansas … Scorzari’s vocals immediately grab hold of your attention with this or any of his previous work, bleeding with honesty and conviction while gravelly capturing your imagination… It is meticulously drawn from the experiences, emotionally-fueled then executed as naturally as the sunset across the plains or the water falling over Multnomah Falls… Expectations were high and Bill Scorzari, naturally, exceeded them with every chord and word…”
—Nanobot Rock
“The poetic rhythm of Scorzari’s lyrics is most impressive, the syllables serving as elemental pulse as much as any of the (many) instruments constructing his songs… This is what I find with Scorzari’s songs and albums: there is always something new to capture your attention, something previously missed that reveals itself as it must… ”
—FervorCoulee, Donald Tepylske
"...Scorzari’s message is powerful and profound. ...this listener cannot get enough of “All Behind Me Now”, “Try, Try Again” and the eleven-minute glorious, meditative opus “Tryin’, Tryin’, Tryin’, Tryin'”. Oh, and “Patience and Time” might well be the most tender and loving song I’ve heard this year. ...The Crosswinds of Kansas is an indisputable triumph… an utter joy to review." —Listening Through The Lens, Rob Dickens
“Scorzari’s raspy vocals—think Dave Van Ronk with a touch of Steve Earle—add weight to his wise, poetic lyrics and contrast beautifully with the album’s frequently sweet-sounding music, which features a variety of guitars and such other instruments as dobro, cello, piano, fiddle, banjo, upright bass, mandolin, and percussion, not to mention Native American flutes and a Tibetan singing bowl bell. Songs like ‘All Behind Me Now’ and ‘Inside My Heart’ will have you hanging on every word and
wondering why Scorzari isn’t famous yet.”
—Americana Highways, Blog Critics, Jeff Burger
"A welcome treasure to my ears… with each lyric, he calls my mind to ponder; the crunch of a gravel road below resonates with a voice that is both conversational and reflective. Bill Scorzari’s music is akin to the musings of Tom Waits, John Prine, and John Moreland. His songs are a conversation where we can savor his poetry. The message echoes in our souls with every instrumental break. Bill's music is both organic and timely. With each creative muse, I really can’t wait to see where he leads us.”
—The Long Island Sound Podcast, Steve Yusko
“[‘The Broken Heart Side of the Road,’ is] a standout track… With its melancholy tone, Scorzari lends his gritty vocals to a work of dark Americana roots music… a song that carries a stirring energy and a haunting tale.” —Glide Magazine, Song Premiere
“He’s captured such pain. And the beauty of a Rose.”
—Americana Highways Video Premiere: “I-70 East”
“Bill Scorzari's sandy blast suggests he was born to sing tales of the dusty highway. In fact, Scorzari was a trial lawyer in New York City before hanging it up to tour, the setting for ‘I-70,’ in which he fights the literal winds to make it back to the East Coast to care for his mother. The song's surging melody and Scorzari's impassioned punk-influenced performance calls to mind vintage Two Cow Garage.”
—The Boot's Weekly Picks, Rachel Cholst
“I like Bill’s voice & ‘Ocean In Your Eyes’ – that’s the ticket, that’s a great showcase. The resonance in his voice has spirit. Instead of burning kindling, he’s ignited a log. This is what Bill needs with lines like ‘I’m swimming for my life’ – perfect for his penetrating vocals. The words he sings must be believable. It’s here. They need to be words from a voice as lived in as Bill’s.” —Americana Highways, John Apice
“‘All Behind Me Now’... is surprisingly welcoming and perfect for a movie soundtrack. It presents listeners with a sense of perseverance and hopefulness for the future and a lesson in personal perspective”
—HVY.com, Will Phoenix
“From New York Trial Attorney to full-time musician, Bill Scorzari makes the seemingly 180-degree transition to a new life look natural.”
—Music Mecca, Morgan Brady
"Bill Scorzari is a master storyteller. He puts it to music and creates pure magic!!” —The Colfax Journal’s Jay Vee Music Review, Jeff Vallet
Bill says, “For me, the journey that had begun in 2019 (and in many respects, much earlier), became a journey into the depths of my soul, not just in a nebulous aspirational or conceptual sense, but in its fruition, and this album is a record of many of the ways in which it has all unfolded for me so far. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have occupied my time with this effort and for the opportunity to continue to participate in the dance that is life, through this pandemic and beyond.”
He continues, “It has been an arduous and relentless trek to the ultimate discovery that we are here simply to dwell in the experience of being human and to come to know that wherever that experience may take us, and to whatever heights or depths we may rise or fall in it, it is all nothing less than an unspeakably generous and miraculous gift of life and great love.”
Order or stream The Crosswinds of Kansas at billscorzari.hearnow.com/the-crosswinds-of-kansas.
The CD is a six-panel digipack and includes a 16-page lyric book beautifully decorated with original art by Anna Berman and photography by Jacob Blickenstaff.
For more information, updates and tour dates, visit www.BillScorzari.com.
