Daniel Donato Readies Anticipated “A Young Man’s Country”
Daniel Donato may only be 25-years-old, but it almost feels like he’s past due for a debut album. That’s how much this Telecaster-slinging wunderkind has accomplished while most of us were still stuck somewhere between waiting tables and graduate school applications. Already a much-deserved nominee for the Americana Music Association’s Instrumentalist of the Year in 2018 (the kid can downright blaze Tele licks), and having played some 2,000 shows, don’t let the fresh face fool you. Donato’s more seasoned than some 40-year-olds.
A Nashville native, Daniel Donato got the music bug in a very generic way—playing Guitar Hero. But it led to a lifelong obsession to try and become the best guitar player in the world, which led him to busking on Lower Broadway in Nashville eight hours a day during weekends while he was still in High School, and later sneaking into Robert’s Western World to behold the magic of The Don Kelley Band. After lots of persistence, Don Kelley signed up Daniel Donato as a lead guitar player, and Daniel played some 450 shows with the outfit before being snatched up as a touring asset for performers like Paul Cauthen.
Marinated in all of those old school country music classics one must know to hold court with The Don Kelley Band for four straight hours, while also being influenced by a Grateful Dead obsession that started when a high school teacher passed him a bunch of bootlegs, it’s all coming together in Daniel Donato’s debut album A Young Man’s Country out August 7th. Bridging the imaginary divide between Merle Haggard and Jerry Garcia, the enterprising Donato is hoping to put his signature stamp on American roots music.
“[The bootlegs] gave me a tie to all of the classic country gold I’d been working down at the honky-tonks each weekend,” says Donato. “Grateful Dead and Merle Haggard had always lived in my heart, but now, the link was made, and I had a vision on how to keep it alive for this generation that I am coming from.”
Comprised mostly of originals, Donato also covers “Ain’t Living Long Line This” by Waylon Jennings, The Grateful Dead’s “Fire On The Mountain,” and John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery” on the album. A Young Man’s Country was produced by guitarist Robben Ford, and was recorded at The Sound Emporium in Nashville.
Ahead of the new album, Daniel Donato has released the song “Luck of the Draw” which gives you a great indication of what you can expect, from ripping and twangy guitar, to a little bit of psychedelia, and Daniel’s confident voice and strong writing.
This is one you’ll want to get on your radar.
TRACK LIST:
1. Justice
2. Always Been a Lover
3. Meet Me in Dallas
4. Fire On The Mountain
5. Luck of The Draw
6. Broke Down
7. Angel From Montgomery
8. Sweet Tasting Tennessee
9. Diamond In The Rough
10. Forgotten Days
11. Ain’t Living Long Like This
sbach66
June 22, 2020 @ 8:20 am
Voice doesn’t do it for me, but I do like the music. Suspect I’ll be sitting this one out.
Kevin Smith
June 22, 2020 @ 9:19 am
Seems like fewer musicians these days want to stay sidemen. My thought is if you wanna break out of that role, fine, but you need to have a good voice and a commanding presence capable of moving and entertaining crowds. Donato has the guitar skills and musical acumen, but is his voice ready for big time country? I’m not seeing vocals as his strength. Maybe as a band leader and picker he could with the help of a great vocalist, make something happen. This stuff sounds to me like hippie trippie jam band inspired material. There are plenty of bands doing that, Billy Strings leans that way for example. IMO we need more young acts who wanna preserve real country music and introduce it to the next generation. I think Donato is a major talent, but I’m gonna be disappointed if he essentially becomes another neo hippie jam band artist. But maybe that’s his vision. Will be interesting to see which way his career arc goes.
Somebody was commenting on the album cover imagery, to me its very Allman Brothers inspired with the psychedelic mushrooms, all seeing eyes and the cowboy imagery brings to mind Marshall Tucker covers.
Trigger
June 22, 2020 @ 10:03 am
“This stuff sounds to me like hippie trippie jam band inspired material.”
But Cosmic Cowboy is telling us it’s not cosmic country at all.
It’s just one song people.
Also, I think his voice is fine. I think this idea that you don’t have a country voice unless you have some deep drawl needs some context of the high harmonies of bluegrass.
Scott
June 22, 2020 @ 11:02 am
I believe him when he sings. He reminds me of a Rodney Crowell type. Strong bandleader/writer that can sing em himself too if he feels like it.
My only qualm would be 3 (rather obvious) covers on a debut? And all songs that have been done as well as they’re ever gonna be done by other artists already. A well-known cover can be good to get people used to your voice and the direction you intend to go, but I’m thinking he should have held out and written 1 or 2 more originals for this one or gone a little more obscure if he wanted to do 3 covers. Just my opinion. Still love the sound and will buy.
Scott S.
June 22, 2020 @ 11:35 am
I feel the same. Music from the video sounds good, but not sure of the vocals. Sounds like he’s trying to sound like Bob Dylan. I’ll give it a listen though. Maybe I’ll come around.
sbach66
June 22, 2020 @ 3:49 pm
Since I appear to have started this, let me clarify; I don’t think (nor did I say) he has a bad voice or that his voice isn’t strong. I just don’t care for it.
Continue.
Colter
June 22, 2020 @ 8:37 am
What’s up with all the third eye imagery that seemingly every independent country artist puts on their album cover nowadays?
Uncle2Pillow
June 22, 2020 @ 8:55 am
Cosmic country scene
wayne
June 22, 2020 @ 9:44 am
Americana-influences no doubt.
The voice is a challenge but it is different. Intriguing thus far.
Cosmic Cowboy
June 22, 2020 @ 9:49 am
Sry but this is in no way cosmic country. Trust me ………..I know
Trigger
June 22, 2020 @ 9:59 am
It’s just one song. I’ve heard the album. There is cosmic country on it.
johnnyba
June 22, 2020 @ 1:14 pm
The chorus in this song sounds like he’s leaning more toward Gram Parsons than anything else to me.
It had struck last year when Billie Strings broke through with psychedelic bluegrass that musically disparate psychedelic trend has slowly formed. It started with Sturgill and moved to Stacey Musgraces and Tyler Childers making the influence clear in songs and videos.
Kevin Mayfield
June 22, 2020 @ 10:11 am
Funny to realize Colter Wall is younger than Donato is.
Who cares
June 22, 2020 @ 11:35 am
Not everyone matures at the same pace….
Benny Lee
June 22, 2020 @ 10:24 am
Cool! He’s a world class picker, no doubt. Those worrying that his act will become another jam band thing are a little behind the curve, IMO – he’s a guitar hero, the jam is the reason people show up.
Kevin Smith
June 22, 2020 @ 2:56 pm
As for my jam band comment Benny, I’ve been there, done that. Went through that phase at one time. These days the only jam band I listen to is the Allman Brothers, although I occasionally check out the Jam Grass folks like Yonder Mountain String Band , Infamous Stringdusters and anything Chris Thile does. Its good and I like the picking fine, but these days melodies, hooks and well written songs are more my thing. I guess every generation coming up eventually discovers The Dead and gets hooked on the hippie trippie stuff because its exciting to them. As for me that ship sailed. But, I agree Donato is a hot tele picker and as I’m partial to telecaster twang, I can appreciate his abilities. There’s another picker out there named Kyle Eldridge who I wrote an article on for a print magazine. Hes only done an Ep thus far but his live show will blow your mind. Hes a double neck player in the tradition of Jimmy Bryant, Joe Maphis and Larry Collins. He plays western swing and rockabilly equally well. And like Donato, he’s in his twenties.
Jack Young
June 22, 2020 @ 11:09 am
Looking forward to this!
And his voice is fine, some of y’all are so weird lol.
Trigger
June 22, 2020 @ 12:47 pm
Daniel Donato is a generational country music guitar player. The fact that he can sing at all is a bonus. Are there better singers out there? Yes. Are there better Tele players? Not many.
Jeremy
June 23, 2020 @ 11:12 am
His voice reminds me of Dee White, but then he rips on the Telecaster and he is suddenly from a different world.
wonkabar23
June 22, 2020 @ 11:40 am
I could do without anymore covers of Angel from Montgomery, but I am a fan of Daniel’s and hope this record is a hit for him.
Crum
June 22, 2020 @ 11:53 am
A good portion of the originals have been released on EPs, but I would expect the production and vibe to be much more cosmic/jam band, whatever you want to call it, whereas the EPs, outside of a few tracks, are pretty hard country. The voice took me a few tries to get used to as it does sound kind of thin, but I think it suits his style of music. Plus the dude can flat out play. Looking forward to this one.
hoptowntiger94
June 22, 2020 @ 12:18 pm
On paper (except the three covers I don’t need another version of), I’m interested in this project and Donato. But, the included recording of “Luck of the Draw” feels like a demo from the weak vocals to the generic, too clean sound. I’ll put it on my radar, but Danato’s career album may not be this one and that’s ok… it’s sometimes about the journey. He may need a better producer and more seasoning.
Robert Johnson
June 22, 2020 @ 1:16 pm
If he did play 450 gigs with the Don Kelly Band, I saw probably 300 of them. He is a great guitar player for sure, but Don never let him sing, and he would have certainly exploited that talent if it was there. Daniel is young and his voice will keep getting better I think. But you have to give him extra credit for at least trying. And keeping some semblance of traditional country while doing it is a bonus. Good luck with the new album Daniel!
DJ
June 22, 2020 @ 1:21 pm
The music is okay, the voice not so much and the video sucked, this is 2020 for cryin out loud not the 1960’s.
Travis
June 22, 2020 @ 3:50 pm
I was a little too old to get in to the guitar hero thing but I wouldn’t imagine it would birth a country music artist, so the addition of the jam band aesthetic makes more sense. I’m not a rap /hip-hop fan but I also read that Post ‘mates’ Malone (Brian Posehn joke) got motivated to play the guitar from guitar hero. I don’t think he’s a shredder or anything but understand he’s got some guitar skills and used to play in a metalcore band.
I am looking forward to checking out this full album when available.
Ian
June 22, 2020 @ 6:48 pm
Odd selection of covers given the catalogues of Prine, The Dead and Waylon but anything with a telecaster gets my listen. As far as voices I don’t really care if the songs are well written. Shit people trashed Michael Bloomfield when he sang his own songs and that guy could sing his ass off!
Fuzzy Twoshirts
June 23, 2020 @ 6:20 am
Look… from a telecaster man
They are among the greatest guitars for playing, but they’re fickle.
A Gibson Les Paul can do anything, but a tele just wont.
The telecaster hits it’s stride with chunk funky licks with plenty of bends, double stop riffs, and accidentals.
There’s a lot of great guitarists who can shine on a Les Paul or a Flying V, who can smoke on any guitar you give them
But a tele player is another type of player altogether. He’s mastered that specific niche of tele licks that only work on teles.
Don Rich May have been one of the best ever, not for speed but for the complexity of his solos.
“Chaparral” is an insanely hard tune, and “happy go lucky guitar” is pretty accessible to most decent players but it relies so heavily on specific chord bends that it won’t sound the same on any other guitar, assuming the bends could be done right
Don Rich and Kenny Vaughan aren’t the best in their trade because they use all the hot licks everyone else does. They use the cool licks only teles can do
And anyone who stands up in the guitar circle and presents them self as a tele man… is the real deal
Because a LOT of guitarists don’t get teles, they lack that rhythmic sense
I’m super excited for this album
albert
June 24, 2020 @ 8:29 am
kudos to any young player or singer or band that that keeps it real in these times . this young guy seems to be doing just that . does he sing like merle or george ? of course not …..who the hell does and we have lots of music from those two legends . my concern with his vocal is one of recording and mixing it . it could have been done more effectively , to my ear , and showcased his character better .
to someone’s point above , yes indeed …a lot of sidemen , songwriters , unsigned younger acts and older acts etc..are recording these days . its relatively cheap to do it..many doing it at home , on fact , compared to back when , its easy to find players , easy to upload it to you -tube and throw it all against the wall to see what sticks . the good : we get LOTS to choose from compared to when the gatekeepers were filtering this stuff . the bad : we get LOTS to choose from . and most of it is not ‘ready for prime time ‘, unfortunately . writing skills, song narratives , less -than- inspiring playing and singing , poor production ….all of this abounds and means we do a lot of sifting through the silt for the gold . but this is the price we pay , in these times , to discover the worthwhile and , hopefully , ensure that it stands a chance when it comes to saving country -or any- music . the stuff labels and networks would overlook completely if it didn’t pass the marketability test with 14 year old girls .
Dav
June 25, 2020 @ 4:27 pm
I saw him at Roberts years ago and I’ll never forget that show. This guy is a modern guitar god.
Corncaster
June 26, 2020 @ 6:55 am
The Tom Holland of Tele.
Ornery Stepdad
June 26, 2020 @ 10:09 am
At first, I was overwhelmingly excited for this live album. The spontaneity and virtuosity heard in DD’s live shows is beyond incredible – something that really can’t be conveyed in a studio album.
Although I’m sure DD had good intentions for this album, it seems to be a half-hearted release that will omit much of the magic of his live shows. I expected at least three narration tracks to bring the aura of his live show to life. What sneakers is he wearing for this “live” show? How can one even attempt to estimate the cost of his Grateful Dead tie-dye without examining the wear, tear, fade and stitching up close? We can assume he’s dancing, but is he dancing well? Is he performing the Macarena, the chicken dance, the cha cha slide? Did he brush his teeth before the show?
The details matter. With so many questions left unanswered, rather, ignored I don’t think he has even the most basic means to justify that this is a “live” album. Disappointed is an understatement.
B. Bender
June 26, 2020 @ 10:25 am
As a fellow player, I love Donato’s playing and the positive energy he’s consistently able to send through his instrument. I’ve learned much watching his tutorials online. Usually more from what he’s talking about instead of simply where to place my fingers on the fret board. He’s definitely an “old soul” when it comes to guitar. He could easily grab a C&W tour spot as the hot shot player with backup vocals but is doing his own thing which I immensely respect. The big challenge for Daniel is his guitar playing’s so far ahead of his vocals he’s most likely in for a long journey of “kid can flat out play but needs a singer…” at least until his vocals catch up more. Even then, his playing is so far ahead of the pack it will most likely overshadow everything else he does musically unless he teams up with a vocalist that can match him. Fortunately for him, I get the feeling that as long as he can tour regionally and play to positive “cosmic” audiences while paying the bills he’ll be happy. Beats most of the “day jobs” out there! Do your cosmic thing Daniel and I’ll be front and center when you make it around to Austin! (I’ll be the one wearing a mask..) Who knows…maybe Mayer will bow out of Dead & Co and you’ll get the nod next! Congrats on the new album!
AusTXHorn
June 28, 2020 @ 10:54 am
Can’t believe there is so much controversy over this song. I recommend the version of Luck of the Draw on his Startlight EP. I just prefer much more guitar over piano and the more produced sound on the new version. But both are good.