Stan Wells brings major folk icons together on his debut album

Having spent nearly nine months carefully crafting “High Tide”, Stan Wells’s debut album is a testament to perseverance, hard work and the sublime spirit of never letting go of one’s vision to create the perfect album. High Tide is the culmination of a lifetime of expertly crafted, true to the core songwriting.

It takes a special kind of musician to bring folk icons like Nina Gerber, David Grisman, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and David LaFlamme all together to play on a debut album, but Stan Wells has done just that with his latest release, High Tide. The story of a lifetime, High Tide spans nearly 4 decades; from songs written in his college days in the ’70s all the way up to the present, each track is timeless.

Wells establishes his credentials to create new American standards from the first seconds of the title track, “High Tide,” which features rich gospel-influenced vocal harmonies and a chorus that begs to be sung to the rafters. Stan is joined by the mournful violin playing of David LaFlamme on “Fantasy Junction,” a tale of lost love, complimented by Nina Gerber (playing none other than Kate Wolfe’s guitar) on the explosive climax of “Cloudburst Suite.”  When asked about High Tide, Wells says, “The songs I wrote in my youth about following my dreams and picking myself back up when I got knocked down have proven themselves to be true for me.” The road hasn’t been an easy one for Wells, and the rawness and gripping honesty  come through every song on the record, reminiscent of legendary artists like John Prine, Guy Clark, and Steve Goodman.