Happy To Be Here (studio album) by Todd Snider

From samistake2ice 08/14/2013 00:42

My Introduction to TS was "Near Truths and Motel Rooms" circa 2004ish. He quickly became one of my favorite singers/songwriters/personalities/prophets.

Even though I bought every thing he released after, I never went back and gave his older albums a listen. So when I read the comment by DBTornado I was inspired to educate myself.

I had heard most of the songs on the album (shows, radio, etc), but I had never heard them together on a studio album and with a handful of other unheard gems.

I dont know if it surpasses the newer albums that I love through and through, but its most definitely worthy of all the praise DBtornado showed it. Give it a listen.

From drivebytornado 02/27/2013 13:40

For me, Todd Snider's classic "Happy to Be Here" is far and away the album of the year for the year 2000. These are songs that I've heard many versions of, on live albums, bootlegs, and in person. I've heard the stories behind every song on this album.

From "Long Year"'s story of trying to go through rehab, to "DB Cooper"'s tale of making it through the night in Oregon's mountains while a manhunt was going on.

From "Lonely Girl," which is about how he met his wife at the rehab clinic, to "All My Life" - also about his wife, simply about an afternoon spent in the car driving with her and what was going through his head.

From "Ballad of the Devil's Backbone" which clearly is about a failed trip to Luckenbach - and I'm still meaning to get out to that bar on the devil's backbone highway, a beatiful area SW of Austin, to "Missing You", a song he wrote about his late father.

So there it is, my favorite album by one of my favorite artists. An album I know by heart and will be listening to for years to come.