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D. Scott Riggs—Somewhere Not Here—

Panhandle Roots and Blues

Scott Riggs has done it again, and then some. But
as a listener you will have to face forty one minutes

of almost unremitting anguish.

When Scott’s last album “These Hard Times Will
Come To Pass” was released, I was (as I am with

this album) hugely impressed and interviewed him
for BiTS (December 2023). It was then I learned
that his wife had passed away unexpectedly, “about
two months ago”. This new album then, is both an

in memoriam work and an act of catharsis.

Like most music that is written in such circumstances (ie., ‘Tears In Heaven’ by Eric
Clapton (1991) following the death of his son Conor) the music here is emotional,

heart wrenching and intensely personal. But comes with a strange feeling (for this
listener at least) of illicit intrusion, until you realise you've been invited.

That aside, the music here I quite, quite beautiful. Five of the fifteen tracks are
instrumentals, sensitively and beautifully played. In the remaining ten tracks, Scott

bares his soul and faces his loss with bravery and sensitivity.

A few of the the titles will tell you the story: ‘Hard, So Hard Sometimes’, ‘Lord Did
You Hear Me Moan’ [instrumental], ‘Just Enough To Face The Day’ [instrumental],

‘No One Knows The Pain In My Heart’, ‘In My Darkest Hour’, ‘Repose Of The Soul’
[instrumental], ‘Goodnight My Angel, Goodnight’ The last couple of titles tell you
that the the act of making music is successful in achieving the spiritual renewal or

release sought. Wonderful!

Ian K McKenzie