© Neal Casal

Today, Neal Casal’s enduring legacy resonates loudly with a touch of twang and a new drum track. “Someone Else’s Shoes,” the second single to arrive off of One Above You (The Early Years 1991-1998), an impending archival album featuring unreleased early studio recordings and demos that emerged as his debut solo set, Fade Away Diamond Time. The sophomore single is accompanied by a new lyrical video, created by musician and filmmaker Deren Ney, which co-opts the visual pick-ups of the song’s lyrics to offer a complimentary mingling of footwear.

On the track, Casal considers two paths, male and female, to provide perspective and create a story arc that implies the need to know yourself before finding each other. On the new arrival, Casal’s longtime manager, Gary Waldman, Cardinals’ bandmate Jon Graboff, and Grammy Award-winning engineer Jim Scott provided an instrumental addition, enlisting Alex Koford (Phil Lesh & Friends, Grateful Shred) to add percussion to the original track. The Los Angeles timekeeper helped build out the composition with the first-time arrival of drums to generate a fuller feel, much like the one emanating through the song’s enigmatic lyrics. 

“‘Someone Else’s Shoes’ is a song Neal wrote and recorded in the spring of 1992. I think it’s part autobiographical and part about a certain friend of his. I’ve always loved this tune and the beautiful melody and vocal harmonies with Angie McKenna, plus Neal’s layering of multiple guitar parts. At that point, Neal was writing so many songs that this one just got left behind and overtaken by other songs he was more excited about, so it never appeared on any of his records,” Waldman told Relix. 

“I’d always wanted to hear what it would sound like with drums on it, so a couple of years ago when we started planning the Early Years release, I called up Alex Koford and asked him to come to the studio and see if he could add a drum part. Alex had played drums at various gigs with Neal at Terrapin Crossing and Neal loved the way he played. He went in and played over the song maybe one or two times and it was done and the song just came to life! He even pitched in an additional vocal harmony in a few spots. I think Neal would have loved the way it turned out,” he concluded. 

The impending collection of music was primarily recorded between 1991 and 1995, prior to the release of Casal’s debut LP, Fadeaway Diamond Time. This effectively launched the celebrated singer-songwriter’s solo career, which added new meaning to the modern genres of roots and Americana music. The newly announced set includes covers of Tom T. Hall, The Incredible String Band, and Floyd “Red Crow” Westerman, next to originals, some of the very best from Casal’s career. 

Accentuating the forthcoming sonic arrival is a book of rare and unseen photographs, No One Above You (Christy Coleman + Neal Casal – A Love Story In Photographs). The collection adds a personal and intimate visual layer, sharing accounts of the couple’s shared time, presented like an image-based memoir, with stills by the musician, his former partner, and friends. 

The album will be available in limited-edition 180-gram green vinyl, 180-gram black vinyl, CD, and digital formats. The book is accompanied by two limited edition tees designed by Nashville-based Imogene + Willie, each featuring an original SX-70 Polaroid from the book.

Pre-order via the Neal Casal Music Foundation. 

Listen to “Someone Else’s Shoes.”