After years of fretboard adventures in his living room and intermittent live gigs, talented folk fingerstylist Dale Osborn wanted to create a musical
document to celebrate his longtime acoustic guitar avocation. On the Edge of Our Town, Osborn's self-produced CD, is a well-rounded collection of 6-
and 12-string fingerstyle grace, featuring ten originals and five covers, ranging from softly reflective to effervescent.
Osborn wanted a simple, uncluttered recording process, unaccompanied by other instruments, sans the overdubs and other effects. He recorded live in
the studio using close-miking techniques. "At times, you can hear the chair I was sitting in creak when I move, or you can hear me breathing during
several quiet instrumental passages - a certain unpolished quality I rather like," he says in his liner notes. Several tracks feature Osborn's creamy,
understated baritone vocals and the light, sweet harmonies of friends Lisa Hunter and Jo Serrapere, adding to the personal, reflective ambiance of the album.
Osborn is a sensitive, articulate player with a knack for melodic, full-bodied compositions and emotionally evocative acoustic soundscapes. Several
tracks on On the Edge of Our Town feature the distinctive sound of his LKSM-12, which Osborn calls "the ultimate 12-string, simple, yet elegant - a
great low-pitched instrument."
Raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan and currently based in Ann Arbor, Osborn has been playing guitar for over 20 years. The thread of outdoor life runs
through the album, and like the title track's lament on the ugly encroachment of urban sprawl, Osborne finds a theme in his yearning to preserve "the
natural self". In "Breaking Away," Osborn's earthy, contemplative vocals discover a sense of freedom, of communion, fishing in a river far from the
city and an indoor day job. The nimble, sparkling Kottke-esque instrumental, "I Hate Jetskis" and pensively sung "Lonely Sailor" crave the simple
elegance of life amid nature. Another track, "Waking Up with Anne," is a vibrant paean to his wife that celebrates the shared beauty of married life.
Osborn's rendition of Heitor Villa-Lobos' classical "Prelude #4 in E Minor" blends fleet fingering with spare, richly-ringing harmonics, while Osborn's
lighter (and bottom) side shows through on "My Left Butt Cheek," which is anything but half-ass. Osborn has put his soul's favorite places to music,
and given listeners an eloquent document.
