Rock Singer/Songwriter Wayne Merdinger Launches His Latest EP

American Rock singer/songwriter Wayne Merdinger has spent the first half of the year writing and recording his latest material which has already received a warm reception from his fans dotted around the world. The six-track album was recorded at Brick Wall Studios in Scottsdale, Arizona and all songs on the EP were written by Merdinger himself except ‘The Train Song (I Saw You)’ which was co-written with Carl Wilkenfeld.    

The first track ‘Troubadour’ is also the title of the EP, and it sets the record rolling in typical rock ‘n’ roll fashion. The song starts with the strumming of the guitar for four bars before the drums kick in to drive the track forward. The rhythm also switches between a common and cut-common meter in the verse and chorus which adds more flavour to the music.  

Lyrically, the song takes its audience on an emotional roller-coaster as Merdinger writes about a poet (Troubadour) whose mindset appears to constantly fluctuate from one sentiment to the next. Lyrics such as ‘’He was a poet – he was a clown / he’d bring you up when he wanted to then take you right back down’’ reaffirms those sentiments.  

The second track on the album ‘Waiting For The Love’ takes a far more subtle and stripped-back approach instrumentally in the intro as it begins acoustically with a guitar, violin, and vocals. The drums enter for the second verse with a small but effective fill to push the song in a different direction. Lyrics such as ‘’All the lies – all the empty words / No surprise – no lessons learned’’ suggest the song is about loneliness and concerns those who have been living in the dark because of a broken or abusive relationship.  

The next song is called ‘Poison’ and it packs more of a punch dynamically as the drums and guitar play in unison after four bars of the guitar in the intro. Poison touches on the ongoing situation within governing bodies and the powers that be across the globe. The lyrics arguably point towards corruption, censorship, and fearmongering from powerful public figures in national elections etc. An example of this is ‘’Poisoning the hopes and dreams / poison on the TV news – nothing but poison all the time’’ which is a direct reference to how people often seem to be duped into believing any information passed down to them.  

‘Nebraska Bay’ is the fourth track to appear on the album and is quite therapeutic and reflective in the sense that it lures its audience with a sensual guitar solo and a guitar hook that latch on to the audience with little sign of loosening up. ‘The Train Song (I Saw You)’ is the penultimate track on the EP and as mentioned was co-written with Carl Wilkenfeld. The track contains a captivating guitar solo which could easily have the audience playing this on repeat on a warm summer’s day.  

The final record is titled ‘It’s Gonna Be Okay’ and it ends the EP on a positive note by offering a glimmer of hope at the end of a long winding road. The drums help to push the tempo and the sensual guitar riff adds much more colour and charisma to the music instrumentally. The album is sure to last the test of time as it contains intimate yet insightful lyrics which will forever retain the ability to captivate audiences young and old.  

Antony Bailey 

@antonybailey93 

Image: Official 'Troubadour' EP Cover