All proceeds from the sales of “Further On: The Songs Of Billy Conway” go to the Billy Conway Artist Fund. For more info, click that button to the right ———————->

Brett Milano (Boston music critic/writer) writes, “You couldn’t ask for a more grabbing opener than Laurie Sargent’s new album. “Stupid Wish” finds the singer in a confessional mood, asking what happens when the wrong dreams come true. With “Smiley Face” the guitars kick in at full throttle, and she demands music and celebration in the afterlife. So we’ve gone from confiding regrets to laughing at death, and that’s only the first two songs. But don’t get the impression that this is tough going. Sargent is above all a first rate pop singer, who can turn a melody or a chorus hook into a real thing of beauty. Such moments are all over this album, whether it’s the noir-country sound of “Still the Sky,” the soaring and emotive “Come Home” or the flat-out rocker “Last Man Standing”. If you’ve followed her career over the years you’ve heard how much ground she’s covered, from early chart success with Face to Face, to the post-Morphine low-rocking Twinemen, to a rewarding string of solo albums. With this one she brings all those threads together. One of my favorite tracks is “Back in the Day”, a sly putdown of rock & roll types who never got over their long-ago heyday. Point well taken: There’s no need to live in the past when you’re doing your best work right now.”

“Sometimes I would have heard a piece for years,” Laurie says, describing Billy’s “plinking”, as she refers to his unique development of his original music, “and sometimes something would seem to appear out of nowhere. His guitar playing is unusual and inspiring, in fact I usually steal his pieces for my own songs. When we went fugitive (hunkering down during treatment), I really pushed him to bring the music to completion so we could record. In my wildest dreams, I never dared to believe that he would pull this off, because he is so comfortable being in the musical supporting role (sideman). I am blown away by what happened when he stepped up to the plate- I love this record!”