Back in 2013 Doug Seegers thought his dream to be a country singer was well and truly over. His life was in turmoil after sucumming once more to his addictions and he was living under a bridge in Nashville. In what seems like a cliche for the American dream, Seegers was approached by Swedish country singer Jill Johnson who was making a documentary about country singers who were down on their luck. Seegers played his self penned song Going Down to the River, and at the age of 63 found himself being an overnight success, when he topped the Swedish charts.
Now clean and sobre, Seegers uses his music to inspire courage and faith in others. His hardship and heartache are the kind of foundations that scores of country music artists have drawn upon to create the most human of musical genres. A Story I Got To Tell is rooted in his experiences on the street, and the family he left behind. There's stories of the destruction of drug abuse, the vulnerability on the street, broken relationships and standard country tearjerkers.
"If you really want to keep it, you've got to give it away" Seegers sings with a quiet melancholia. His is a voice of deep experience for all that he has loved and lost and found again. It's an album that aims to atone for the past, seek forgiveness and ultimately show the endurance of the human spirit.
Groupie Rating
4/5
