Doug MacLeod – Between Somewhere and Goodbye
Reference Recordings – 2025
11 tracks: 47 minutes
Between Somewhere and Goodbye is the latest musical exploration from internationally renowned bluesman Doug MacLeod. This is MacLeod’s sixth album with Reference Recordings. With nearly thirty albums in his career, MacLeod has won numerous Blues Music Awards (BMAs), including the 2024 BMA for Acoustic Album of the Year (Raw Blues 1). In 2025, MacLeod was nominated for Acoustic Artist of the Year and Acoustic Album of the Year.
According to his website, MacLeod is known for his superb songwriting, guitar wizardry, warm soulful vocals, wit, and unforgettable live performances. At the heart of (those) performances is (MacLeod’s) knack for storytelling, bringing characters from the faceless to the legendary to strikingly real life.
MacLeod brings that storytelling prowess, his guitar wizardry, and those warm soulful vocals to every song on Between Somewhere and Goodbye. As MacLeod explains in the liner notes, “this album is a little different from my other albums…oh, there’s blues here, humor here, and even a touch of soul here…(plus) there’s a theme running through many of the songs here.” He goes on to explain that he not only learned about music from mentors such as Ernest Banks and George “Harmonica” Smith but also about “this thing we call life.”
MacLeod has been based in Memphis, Tennessee since 2019 and the Bluff City along with the Mighty Mississippi have greatly influenced his songwriting. You will note the painting on the album’s cover of the Hernando de Soto Bridge, aka the “M” Bridge, which spans the Mississippi at the north end of downtown Memphis.
Another Tennessee city known for its music is prominently featured on Between Somewhere and Goodbye. The album was recorded at Nashville’s Creative Workshop studio—produced by Andreas Werner and engineered by Joe Funderburk. MacLeod was joined by a set of Nashville musicians, including Paul Ossola on bass, Mark T. Jordan on keys, Lynn Williams (drums and percussion), and Werner on acoustic guitar (on tracks 1 and 4). Collectively known as the “Funky Chester Rhythm Section,” they have worked with Bonnie Raitt, Delbert McClinton, Van Morrison, Buddy Guy, and Lyle Lovett.
Harmony vocals were provided by “The Shoals Sisters,” Cindy Walker, Marie Lewey, and Carla Russell. The trio, based in the Muscle Shoals, Alabama area (another Southern locale famous for music), have provided backing vocals for Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Demi Lovato, Gregg Allman, and many others.
Between Somewhere and Goodbye kicks off with an undeniable Memphis groove on “Memphis in Your Soul,” featuring The Shoals Sisters understated—but silky sweet—harmonies. The title track, “Between Somewhere and Goodbye,” is classic MacLeod with intricate guitar play, toe-tapping backbeat, and intimate storytelling. “I Don’t Like Your Chances” is another toe-tapper with that old school blues piano from Jordan. “One Rib Short” is another classic MacLeod storytelling number with a traditional blues rhythm and his witty lyrics.
Other notable tracks include the soulful downhome “Hard Times,” a little more contemporary number in “Even Angels Get Too Sad to Fly,” which has a Nashville feel to it, and “Roll Like a River 2025” with more backing harmonies from The Shoals Sisters. According to the liner notes, this is third recorded version of the song.
The album winds down with “Watching The Sun Go Down,” a slow reflective song with neat tone and an emotional message and, according to MacLeod, also influenced by “walking along the Mississippi.”
Between Somewhere and Goodbye is yet another terrific journey from Doug MacLeod, who, in the best of blues’ traditions, brings his heart and soul to every song.
