"Land of the Shadows is brilliant." Philip C. Kolin, Professor of English, University of Southern Mississippi

A milestone achievement from one of America's finest young writers. Ben Bedford, of Springfield, Illinois, writes story songs with compassion, insight and discipline in equal measure. These tales are so honed to essence they transport us headlong into the passion and meaning of past events. Not only is every lyric polished like a gem, the production - featuring Charles Williams' enthralling dobro work - supports his vision in perfect concert. We are with the heartbroken man on "The Sangamon," disposing of his beloved wife's effects after she has died in childbirth: "This town no longer calls me. It holds no breath for me," he says. We are with Amelia Earhardt on her daring solo flight across the Atlantic:

Amelia open up that throttle, get above those trees
The icebergs looming sharp and white
With a big combustion engine and a fool's head full of dreams
You'll cut across the blue Atlantic sky

Civil War songs; a mine disaster; Emmet Till. All new. Bedford sees and presents American History as an open question.

With the release of his second album, Land of the Shadows, Ben Bedford “...has proven himself to be a truly inspired and talented storyteller...” according to Arthur Wood (FolkWax). In its first month of airplay, Land of the Shadows reached number one on the Folk-DJ charts with three songs in the top ten.

"One of the best of the new generation of American singer-songwriters." Len Jaffe, The Sounding Board

"4.5 out of 5 stars." Maverick Magazine

Twenty One
The Cherry Mine
You're the Weather
The Sangamon
Mother Jones On the Line
Ten Paces (Charles Williams)
Amelia
Land of the Shadows (B.Bedford and Kari Abate)
One Night At a Time
Fisher's Hill
As Long As Your Eyes Are Blue (adapted from Banjo Patterson poem)

Chas Williams- dobro, banjo, guitar
Ron De la Vega- cello
Peter Young- drums
David Spicher- bass
Tammy Rogers- fiddle
Joey Schmidt- accordion
Kari Abate- harmony vocals
Jon Randall- harmony vocals