Jason McNiff is back with a new collection of songs by artists who have inspired his writing and music over his career.
‘Tonight We Ride’ was born out of McNiff’s own pandemic experiences. Like many, he was forced online when physical gigs stopped. He quickly found support in donations and messages for his weekly online shows often playing a mix of covers and original material, sometimes for more than two hours. Inspired by the response McNiff decided to pick some of his favourites and record them intimately as if they were his own songs.
Early highlights include an ethereal folk version of ‘Tonight We Ride’ Tom Russell and a stripped back folk version of the Waterboys classic, ‘Fisherman’s Blues’. Two Bob Dylan songs, ‘One Too Many Mornings’ and ‘Precious Angel’ both lend themselves to McNiff’s vocal and guitar style.
Early in McNiff’s career, he was lucky enough to catch Bert Jansch in his Wednesday night residency in London’s 12 Bar Club. Inspired by Jansch’s style of guitar playing he eventually signed his first record deal with a label run by Jansch’s Brother in Law. Those early days are acknowledged on the album in the form of ‘Running from Home’ and ‘The Open Road’.
Intimate and refreshing ‘Tonight We Ride’ is more than a collection of cover songs. It’s a creative homage to the artists who wrote the songs who themselves inspired McNiff to embark upon his own musical journey.