A Fire Somewhere

A Fire Somewhere

A Fire Somewhere is a beguiling slice of country-tinged psychedelia recorded in 1971 by Ray Stinnett, a former guitarist for Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs. Stinnett cut the tracks with musicians like Mike Plunk (who played bass for swamp rocker Tony Joe White), Memphis guitarist Jerry Patterson, and legendary organist Booker T. Jones. The album effortlessly merges the in-the-pocket grooves of these Memphis session heavies with Stinnett’s airy, folk-inflected songwriting, giving A Fire Somewhere a relaxed, pastoral atmosphere unique for its era. The dreamy swamp-pop that Bobby Charles was making around the same time might be a good touchstone, but Stinnett’s music is less funky; it's instead informed by the exploratory psychedelia of the early Grateful Dead and the L.A. country rock of The Byrds’ Ballad of Easy Rider. Stinnett recorded A Fire Somewhere for A&M and got as far as finalizing the cover art before the label shelved the project. The album went unheard until it was saved from oblivion by the folks at the famed Seattle-based imprint Light in the Attic.

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