Scottsdale, AZ-based folk rock singer, songwriter and recording artist, Wayne Merdinger released his new album “Hidden Gems” on major streaming platforms this month (April 2023), where he effortlessly transforms common human experiences and emotions into moving lyrics and beautiful melodic expressions. This amazing collection of classic rock, folk rock and soft rock songs narrates the potent real life stories, several of which were written decades ago (way back in the 1990’s) but remain equally relevant even today.
The album was recorded in multiple studios, including the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London, MaD Studios in London, and Brick Road Studio in Scottsdale, AZ.
Stream “Hidden Gems” on Spotify.
Apart from lead and backing vocals, Wayne Merdinger has played acoustic guitar, piano and keyboards in this album. Other esteems artists responsible for the fruition of this project include Danny Saxon at piano, keyboards and percussion; Mark Jaimes at acoustic, electric and bass guitars; Mark DeCozio at piano, keyboards and acoustic, electric and bass guitars; Scott Leader at acoustic guitar and keyboards; Joe Costello at drums; Adam Armijo at electric guitar; John Hayden at bass guitar; Dan Tomlinson at drums; Todd Chuba at drums; Charity Lockhart at backing vocals; and Ali Welbourn at backing vocals.
“Hidden Gems” Tracklist
This is a full-length album with the following 13 tracks:
- Hidden Gems
- Lose To Gain
- One More Memory
- Missing You
- All My Life
- American Dream
- Abbey Road (Remastered)
- It’s Raining Somewhere (Remastered)
- Times Are Changing (Remastered)
- Don’t Even Think It’d Be Alright (Remastered)
- Stranger (Remastered)
- One Day At a Time (Remastered)
- Time of Our Lives (Remastered)
The album opens with the brisk folk-laden title track “Hidden Gems.” Lyrically, it brings back the memories of long-lost friends. The second track “Lose to Gain” brings alive the 1990’s pop nostalgia with heart-tugging strings and piano lines.
The lyrics in “One More Memory” make us realize that the only thing we own is time, and how we use our time to make memories is what really matters. “Missing You” is another fantastic track of the album. Right from guitar to vocals to drums, everything is terrific.
“All My Life” is a string-laden delightful love song written by Carl Wilkenfeld, while “American Dream” is an energetic track that stands out with its bouncy bassline and Beatlesque pop.
“Abbey Road” is a special song written by Merdinger after his 2014’s private tour of the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London. It’s remastered from his 2017 “Behold the Invisible Man” album and was recorded at Brick Road Studio, Scottsdale, AZ.
The last six tracks are the remastered versions of Merdinger’s already released singles and are produced by Mark DeCozio. The remastering of all these six tracks as well as that for “Abbey Road” was done by Streaky (Ed Sheeran, Usher, Snow Patrol, etc.).
More Info About Wayne Merdinger
Wayne Merdinger is a Scottsdale, AZ-based published recording artist. His lyrics are insightful and emotional. He is majorly inspired by the legendary artists of the 1960’s and 1970’s. After having writing songs for more than 25 years, he released his first music album “The Music Lives On” in 2016. The present release “Hidden Gems” has taken his musical journey to the next level with his first collaboration with renowned British producers, Danny Saxon and Mark Jaimes.
Here are some quick links to help you learn more about Wayne Merdinger and his work:
