Dave Rudolf: "We'll Find Our Own Way" (2025) CD Review

Sometimes an album title just seems to perfectly sum up our feelings or perspective on the world. Such is the case with Dave Rudolf's new release, We'll Find Our Own Way. That feels right, doesn't it? Certainly, the powers that be are not going to offer any help, any light, any suggestions worth listening to. We have to find our own way, and we will. And we can imagine ourselves as Indiana Jones-type characters, as the album's artwork suggests, heroes of our own stories. In addition to the way Dave Rudolf's name is presented on the front, there is an old map and biplane pictured on the back, and on the inside the man is depicted holding a coiled whip. Indiana Jones is known for battling Nazis, so we could certainly use him today in this country. The album contains mostly original material, songs to aid us on this crazy and sometimes beautiful journey. Joining Dave Rudolf on this one are Jim Widlowski on drums, Felton Offard on guitar, Jack Whittle on guitar, Al Joseph on violin, Gary Victorine on pedal steel, Thomas Linsk on keyboards, Dan Lemmon on keyboards and organ, Wally Hustin on bass, Michael Hesiak on saxophone, Tim Bales on trumpet and trombone, and Harry Garner on harmonica.

The album opens with its title track, which has a cool, easygoing folk vibe and features some really nice work on guitar. The song is about how someone else's plan is handed to us, how we're expected to adopt the beliefs of those who came before us. "Don't raise your voice, don't ever shout/They told us who to hate and fear/As they whispered tales into our ears/But it never really did ring true." There are paths laid out for us by other people. But, really, what do those people know? No one has the answers, and we're all just trying to figure things out for ourselves. This song is about forging our own paths, and the song celebrates the journey. There is a funkier, livelier energy to "I Think I'm In Trouble," a song in which Dave Rudolf tells us, "She's so alluring, I think I'm in trouble now." Oh yes, that is the kind of trouble we don't necessarily mind having. There is a great vibe to this track, which features some appealing backing vocal work and some good stuff on keys. "Trouble never looked this good, it never moved this way."

All but one of the album's tracks were written by Dave Rudolf. The album's sole cover is Townes Van Zandt's "If I Needed You." Such a beautiful song, and Dave Rudolf does a great job with it. I am lucky enough to have gotten to see Townes Van Zandt perform at a small club in the 1990s, just a couple of years before he died. "And if you needed me, I would come to you/I would swim the seas for to ease your pain." We all need someone to ease our pain, don't we? May we each have that person we need. This rendition is a gorgeous duet, and features some touching work on violin. It's followed by "Excuses," a cool number featuring some good work on guitar, the song having something of a Santana vibe. "You're always looking for someone to blame," Dave sings in this one, which certainly speaks strongly to our times. Excuses are a way of life for many people these days. No one is willing to admit a fault, no one is willing to accept any blame. "Your word doesn't mean much anyhow."

Dave Rudolf changes gears then with "What You See Is What You Get," not only in the song's sound, but the idea, for here he sings, "I'm exactly like what I appear/And my meaning's always clear." Isn't that refreshing? And he admits, "I've got my flaws, I've had mishaps." And there is a joy to this one, to the vocal delivery, and to the music. And what a great choice placing this song directly after "Excuses." "So if you're searching for something that's real/Take my hand, and you know the deal." I imagine that many people are searching for something that's real, yearning for truth, for honesty, for someone they can count on. It's not yet impossible to find. Dave then enters bluesier territory with "It's Suspicious." Here he mentions excuses again: "Your excuses never seem to reconcile." While "What You See Is What You Get" is about complete trustworthiness, this one is about the opposite: "You've got secrets locked behind that door/I'm not going to ignore it anymore/It's suspicious." And the line "I'm getting real tired of your constant lies" applies to a great number of people. Isn't it interesting how any line about dishonesty immediately makes us think of the government these days? I'm looking forward to the day when that will no longer be the case, assuming that day will come.

"Sunny Side Up" is a totally fun number about things being tough, but people having the drive to keep going and to somehow remain cheerful. "Troubles gonna be there no matter what you do/So you'd better face them with a good attitude." Indeed. And the backing vocals echo, "A good attitude." Life is difficult. There is strife, there is loss, there is pain. But there is also good stuff, and that's the stuff to focus on. Good stuff, like this music. "Got a wife I love and some good kids too/That's a whole lot of riches in my point of view/Gonna keep on living with the sunny side up." This is one of my personal favorite tracks. It is followed by "When The World Made Sense." "I go to work, I do my chores/But it doesn't mean much anymore," Dave sings early in this one. I think most of us are in touch with that feeling, even if we haven't suffered a great loss. "When will the world start to make some sense again?" I don't really expect that day to arrive. There is a beautiful ache to this song. This is another of my favorites.

"In My Hometown" is song that looks back to a time when perhaps things did make sense. "We'd ride our bikes through the neighborhood/When life was simple, life was good/In my hometowhn." I've been thinking about the town where I was born lately. I was there in October, and found some positive changes, which surprised me. There is a weekly crafts fair now, with live music. There were also some negative changes. Most of the places where my friends and I played are gone. Entire streets with huge houses are now where the woods once were. I tried to not meet those changes with sadness, but failed. This is a beautiful song, featuring some wonderful work on guitar. The energy is high again for "I Ain't Buying What You're Selling" (which is misprinted on the CD case as "I Ain't Buying What Your Selling"). "Your lies are not compelling/I ain't buying what you're selling." What is endlessly depressing and infuriating is how many people did buy and continue to buy what that rapist in the White House is selling. How did this nation get so low? This song mentions those television preachers who raise money to buy private jets. I used to wonder how people could be so easily duped by them, but now I've come to the conclusion that half of this country is made up of total morons, people who are utterly incapable of distinguishing truth from lies.

The mood turns a bit darker, more somber and contemplative on "Frost On The Pane," a song featuring a moving vocal performance. "While twilight crawls across the room/Every shadow knows your name/Carved in frost on the frozen pane." This is a captivating song, leaving us with this thought: "Only memories remain." Then the horns and that funky bass line of "That's What They All Say" tell us it's time to get off our seats. This lively number contains some delicious stuff on keys too. It's a track to get us smiling. And toward the end, there is a cool lead on saxophone. The mood shifts again with "Across The Western Plains," which features some pretty work on strings and warm work on piano, as well as an engaging vocal performance. "We paid in blood and shed our tears/For this patch of earth through desperate years/We plant our hopes in this brand new land/With hardened hearts and a trembling hand."

We can always use a good love song, right? I think love songs are perhaps more necessary now than usual. Dave Rudolf offers us "Loving You Any Way I Can," a song of declaration of love. "Well, I'll be there in your darkest hours/I'll be there when you need a friend/I'm the kind of guy you want to lean on/I'm the one on whom you can depend." We all need a person who will be there for us, and when we don't have that, music like this is there for us. "And I'll be the one who lifts your spirits/I'm the one who comforts you when you're afraid/I'll love you in the good and bad times/And we'll make it through the darkest nights." That's followed by "The Wind On Clonmore Hill," which features some beautiful, moving work on strings right from the beginning. This track has a timeless vibe. "May you be blessed by hands above, and give mercy to those below." Dave Rudolf then gets into country territory with "Meet Me Halfway," a song with a positive, kind of uplifting sound. "I walked through the thunder/And I danced on through the rain." This is another of the disc's highlights. "We've been through too much to surrender the fight/We've been through the dark, now let's enter the light/All I ask is for you to meet me halfway." The album ends on a cheerful note with "See You Later." "Now don't get upset/But I can't stay that long/It's not about you/So don't you take it wrong." Yes, it's a song of goodbyes, but delivered with a good bit of pep, and featuring some really good stuff on guitar.

CD Track List

1. We'll Find Our Own Way
2. I Think I'm In Trouble
3. If I Needed You
4. Excuses
5. What You See Is What You Get
6. It's Suspicious
7. Sunny Side Up
8. When The World Made Sense
9. In My Hometown
10. I Ain't Buying What You're Selling
11. Frost On The Pane
12. That's What They All Say
13. Across The Western Plains
14. Loving You Any Way I Can
15. The Wind On Clonmore Hill
16. Meet Me Halfway
17. See You Later

We'll Find Our Own Way was released on October 15, 2025.