This is Jesse's second solo album, and all but one of the tracks are Dayton originals. He produced the CD, to boot. You can listen to RealAudio samples below, read the lyrics, and get the scoop on what inspired the songs. 'Course, you can always buy , too.
Ever ask yourself, "I wonder how he thought of that"? Well, now you'll know. Here are Jesse's stories about his inspiration for the songs on Tall Texas Tales
1 . Never Turned My Back On You "This is a tip of the hat to hillbilly folk music. It's a gospel song, really."
2 . Every Now And Then "Oh ... this one was written after a real bad night in L.A. Can't really say more than that."
3 . Jumped Head First "This is sort of a family tree song, ala Townes Van Zandt. Some of it's fictional -- and some of it's not."
4 . Creek Between Heaven And Hell "Well, when I was the alternate astronaut for the space shuttle ... just checkin' to make sure you're paying attention. This is really about the beauty and tragedy of a southern childhood."
5 . Harris County Blues "Jeez. My vintage Tele was stolen one night while I was in sessions for Tall Texas Tales. I wrote the song on the way to the studio the next day, and we recorded it. And no, I didn't get my guitar back."
6 . Molasses Girl "This is the tale of a poor Creole girl from south Louisiana who moved to Manhattan and became a big stock broker. Aaaah, the American Dream."
7 . Arkansas Chrome (Duct Tape Song) "I wrote this on tour with the Supersuckers. We were at this filling station, when a trucker came in and said that his back windshield was blown out and he needed some duct tape. The attendant looked at him and said, 'All the arkansas chrome is in back of the store.' It's a great metaphor for holding your life together."
8 . One Year, Three Months, A Week To The Day "I was in the Hollywood hills, writing songs, flipping around the TV channels with the sound turned off. The History Channel was showing a program about the California Gold Rush, and I wrote this song."
9 . Old Faithful "Her point of view ..."
10 . Angel's Touch "Ah ... 3:00 in the morning in a motel in the middle of nowhere, missing that girl back in Travis County."
11 . The Room Full Of Blues "Well, you know, songwriting is a real good way of dealin' with my demons."
12 . Blackjack "I was in the studio with a friend. We called his father, and he sang this song over the phone while I wrote down the words. We recorded it, and afterwards, I found out it was about a train named Blackjack that brought the soldiers home to Nashville in the 40s."
13 . River Done Rose
14 . I Think I'll Go Out Tonight
15 . Beginning Of The End