“This record is a time capsule of our lives,” says Ford Turrell of the new full-length album Light Years from the singer/songwriter and his wife, Kim. “We wanted to put together a record that captured our life at this moment, so the band on this record are mostly family members, including our teenage kids. But more than that, it is a record about the passage of time, about what we leave behind, what we pass on, and what we take with us.” Sonically, Light Years seamlessly flows between alt-folk, jazz, and classic singer/songwriter. In addition to Ford’s guitar and vocals and Kim’s vocals, the musicians on Light Years include the Turrell’s brother-in-law Chris Corey on piano and organ, nephew Sam Corey on bass, sax, clarinet, and flute, nephew Christopher Corey, Jr. on drums, daughter Amelia Turrell on cello, and daughter Evie Turrell on violin. Nashville-based guitarist Jedd Hughes also contributes some striking colors and rich textures on many of the songs. “This record is brilliant,” quipped Jedd upon first hearing the finished tracks. Light Years was produced by Ford and Kim at Third Coast Recording Co. in Grand Haven, Michigan, near their hometown. Light Years was engineered by Raziel Castaneda. It was mastered by Dawson March with assistance from Sam Horn and Dawson Gnewikow. It was mastered by Danny Pellegrini. The cover art for Light Years features the Turrell’s 1976 Volkswagen bus,“Freida”.
Ford Turrell has previously released two prior highly regarded records, one self-titled, and the other called Days Go By. Days Go By was produced and mixed by Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Dawes, James Bay, Norah Jones). Those prior records include songs that have been recorded by other artists, spotlighted on prominent playlists, and featured on television shows such as 90210, Roswell, Friday Night Lights, and Shark.