Dixie Chicks songwriter doesn’t mind playing a bit himself

Dirt

Mark Selby

Vanguard Records

Dirt, the sophomore…

Dirt

Mark Selby

Vanguard Records

Dirt, the sophomore album from Mark Selby, is a record that digs down deep below the roots of everything: life, love, growing and maturing.

The album has a down-to-earth feel that puts you in the songs and makes you feel the pain in his words. With rocking acoustic and electric guitars, Selby has developed his chops and his solos are intricate and precise. Several songs feature Selby’s talent of playing a slide technique that adds to the emotion of the songs.

Selby’s lyrics are genuine and he has already made a name for his songwriting ability, writing several songs for Kenny Wayne Shepherd, including his hit “Blue on Black.” Selby also wrote “There’s Your Trouble” for the Dixie Chicks, as well as a number of other songs for other top country artists.

His lyrics in “Easier to Lie” are emotional and true while “Reason Enough,” the album’s opening track, is a solid rock song that makes for an excellent opener.

Selby uses his experience on the road as a stepping stone for writing songs, as him and his writing partner, his wife Tia Sillers, have written about their experiences in life as Mark lays his heart out in Dirt.

Selby has shared the stage with the likes of B.B. King, John Mayer, Collective Soul and Jeff Beck. Selby plays with raw emotion and his lyrics are honest and true. His style is a mix between the sound of Martin Sexton and Stevie Ray Vaughan, with bluesy rock and a down home feel that makes each song, from start to finish, worth listening to.