Little Moments (Pinecastle Records), Daryl Mosley’s fifth solo release, will delight fans of his songwriting, with the Waverly, TN native penning every track on the album, plus one co-written with the prolific Rick Lang. With nostalgic warmth, Daryl catalogs his favorite memories and celebrates small-town life in a bygone era.
Many of the songs are in a “contemporary” bluegrass or Americana style, with relaxed rhythms and prominent percussion. They would have been at home on country music radio of the ’80s and ’90s. Daryl’s singing is folksy and conversational, with some lines almost spoken.
Daryl is no stranger to bluegrass. In the 1990s, he was lead vocalist for the bluegrass gospel group New Tradition, and joined the Osborne Brothers in 2001. In 2010, he formed The Farm Hands before going solo.
His songs have been recorded by Lynn Anderson, Bobby Osborne, and the Grascals. Danny Paisley’s recording of Two Old Church Pews, written by Daryl with Mark “Brink” Brinkman, is nominated for this year’s IBMA Gospel Recording of the Year.
Daryl sings lead and plays bass on Little Moments, joined by Danny Roberts on mandolin, Jamie Harper on fiddle, Justin Moses on dobro, Jaelee Roberts on harmony vocals, and Tony Wray on guitar.
For the most part, Little Moments is a sweetly sentimental look back at childhood days and a simpler life. The 1900s chronicles the details of growing up in the 1960s, with stay-at-home moms and phones hanging on the wall. (The song’s innocent child seems to have been protected from any of the social turmoil of that era.)
Other songs celebrate hard-working daddies, one-screen movie houses (is this the first appearance of Burt Reynolds in a bluegrass song?), and beloved grandmothers. That last one, She Knew It All, has more of a driving bluegrass feel, as well as a powerful message as the wise grandmother, now in heaven and talking with Jesus, unites with the source of all wisdom.
Two songs tackle more challenging subject matter. The opening track, Corner of Hopeless, takes an unflinching look at a homeless man battling alcoholism. Where traditional bluegrass songs might romanticize such a figure as a hard-drinkin’, free-spirited rambler, Daryl presents a realistically depicted and tragic character.
I Won’t Drink to That offers a more hopeful companion piece, celebrating one man’s recovery from addiction. The album’s current single, it has a definite country music style—from the rhythm to the play on words in the title. It’s a heartfelt song, and in some ways is the anti-Friends in Low Places.
The album closes with the title track, a laid-back offering that sums up the overall theme with a list of small but comforting recollections, the Little Moments that “make a big, big life.”
