Come for the headline, stay for the story. That old saying couldn’t be truer as it relates to the new album from Derek Vanderhorst. The headline is that the go-to sound designer and mixer for hundreds of films, including The Eyes of Tammy Faye and No Country For Old Men, was diagnosed with stage 4 head-and-neck cancer a few years ago. The doctors told him even if he lived, he might lose his hearing and voice. The story that keeps you engaged is that during his treatment and recovery he wrote over 150 songs, and after hundreds of hours of vocal rehab, he picked 11 and with a ton of support from his buddy, bassist Mike Valeria, and a serious roster of studio musicians, is releasing Wildflower later this month.
The record opens with Can’t Fall In Love With You. It’s a piece about not making the choice to get swept up in love with someone again. But the anguish in Vanderhorst’s voice comes from a loneliness that’s a lot more than just a relationship, it’s about mortality. Hanging On Your Door also carries a melancholy feeling and is one of several songs featuring Gabe Witcher on fiddle. At the other end of the emotional spectrum is Hillbilly Princess. It has kind of a square dance feel as it relates that, “she’s going to be the very death of me, wouldn’t want it any other way.” Shake Shake Shake also has an uptempo beat in a little ditty about being truly in love.
Vanderhorst relates that as part of his rehab he developed a new (for him) vocal style inspired in part by Bob Dylan. The rough voice and almost-spoken-word delivery is front and center on I Don’t Mind. That same style anchors Baby, a warning about flying too close to the sun that you have to assume was influenced by the Hollywood emphasis on appearance and form over function. Vanderhorst’s acoustic guitar style leads If You’re Gonna Love Somebody, a folk song that half wonders, half pleads, “if you’re gonna love somebody, why the hell not me”.
It’s been 25 years since Derek Vanderhorst gave up making a living as a musician and jumped full-time into TV and film. We should all be appreciative of the contributions he made to that segment of the entertainment industry. With his new record it’s clear he can add musician back into his resume, and if Wildflower is any indication of the rest of those 150 songs, we should be outright thrilled for what comes next.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.