Category: Liner Notes

6/26/26 – I gotta be honest – the lyrics for Next Up sat unfinished for a while. Sometimes a song’s words fall into place like Plinko chips – right away. But often finding the right rhymes that also convey the meaning you wanna get across takes work (“up” and “next” have fewer rhyme matches than you’d think for such short, simple words!). This resulted in some more playful language than usual, but sometimes the song goes where it wants.

"I never wanna be that artist who runs out of paint colors and begins to just make the same songs over and over again." - John Mayer

I used to think singer-songwriters (songwriters who perform/record the songs they write) all write lyrics about situations that are true to their life at the exact time they write that song — their “journey,” if you will. Perhaps many still do, but what John Mayer said a few years ago when promoting his album Sob Rock changed my thinking. He said, “the idea of Sob Rock is that it might have been something that already happened, but when you go looking, it’s not . . . The question is, can you have memories of things that might have happened to you but you were too young [to remember details]?” That blew my mind a bit, and opened up the possibilities for my future songwriting. Instead of being self-limited to what’s true in the moment, or precisely and contemporaneously autobiographical, I could start to delve into images of life – vignettes or dreams, even – for inspiration.

Next Up has additional lyrics that I didn’t include – so I sense an Extended Version coming in the future…. Stay tuned for that. Following me on Spotify is the best way to stay updated, and make sure to sign up for my email list too.

Listen to Next Up on AppleMusic or any other platform

Next Up music & lyrics © 2026 Knox Summerour & Knox Drive Music (ASCAP)
Produced, Vocals, Flugelhorn, & Guitar by Knox Summerour
℗ 2026 Knox Summerour & Little Paradise Road

5/22/26 – As an over-thinker myself, I sometimes tend to make life more complex than it needs to be. And having been all over the world, I’ve found that for the most part people everywhere have the same basic needs – food, security, community, and perhaps most importantly, love 🤍. We strive too much for the shinest car, coolest vacation, highest status, and constant comfort. So when you find someone who brings back the basics and simplicity to your life, hang onto them – and send them this song.

What’s your favorite part of the song? Email me here and let me know. 🙏🏼 Thanks for listening. Following me on Spotify is the best way to stay connected, and make sure to sign up for my email list too.

P.S. For Music Nerds

This song’s concert key (E Major) ain’t my favorite, because that puts the flugelhorn/trumpet in the key of F# Major – 6 sharps – not real friendly. But E Major seems to fit my vocal range pretty well, and luckily the flugelhorn parts aren’t too technical. In general though, “flat” keys (F, Bb, Eb, Ab) are much better for us brass players.

Listen to Uncomplicated on Spotify:

Listen to Uncomplicated on AppleMusic & other platforms

for A.A.S.

Uncomplicated music & lyrics © 2026 Knox Summerour & Knox Drive Music (ASCAP)
Produced, Vocals, Flugelhorn, & Guitar by Knox Summerour
℗ 2026 Knox Summerour & Little Paradise Road

4/3/26 – Google Maps & Garmins are amazing, but sometimes you gotta turn off the GPS and go where you wanna go, not where a computer says. And especially when you’re young, everyone you know gives you advice about how to get to where you wanna be. Like a GPS, family & friends mean well, but there’ll come a time when you’ll go your own way, in your own way. No matter which road you take though, as long as you keep the Center the center, you’re still on the right path. Psalm 37:23-24

The Process

As the sound for this song came together, I decided it could really use some intimate fingerstyle acoustic guitar, so I recorded that before any vocals or flugelhorn. As usual, I was making final lyric tweaks in the vocal session — but I wouldn’t have it any other way; I so love the process of recording and producing music for you to vibe to, whether it be on the subway, in the car, a cozy evening at home… Thanks for listening. – check back for a new song in May; follow me on Spotify to be the first to hear it, or sign up for the email list here.

Listen to On My Way on Spotify:

Listen to On My Way on AppleMusic & other platforms here

On My Way music & lyrics © 2026 Knox Summerour / Knox Drive Music (ASCAP)
Produced, Vocals, Flugelhorn, & Guitar by Knox Summerour
℗ 2026 Knox Summerour / Little Paradise Road