MUSIC

McGonigel's Mucky Duck presents Graham Colton. With special guest Matthew Mayfield.

"I've never felt more like myself than I have on this album. I found myself, and I finally found my voice," the singer, songwriter and guitarist Graham Colton says of the forthcoming CD, Here Right Now.

Don't call it a simple return. Call it a metamorphosis, a deep progression, an inspired evolution or - perhaps most fitting - a rewarding exercise in self-actualization. Stepping into his own in order to connect to his heart and artistic vision, Graham Colton has emerged with a stunning collection of pop-rock melodies, lyrics and emotions in 12 tracks that swing between love and heartbreak, trials and relief.

Although it can be said that the power of the story is in the telling, it’s the tale itself that inspires the story to be told. Performance and delivery make up only one half of the equation; the other half is the feeling and emotion that inspires the creation of melodies and lyrics. That substance is the product of lessons learned over hundreds of shows and thousands of miles traveled, and the distance in between.

Although it took coming back to his roots in all senses, to go forward, he hopes his work on Here Right Now transcends the moments he used as inspiration and reflected upon. "As far as dynamics, there is a great feeling and a quiet sense of confidence that I have done it all by myself," he says. "My plan is to just kind of let it happen. Ultimately it forces me to connect with what I'm saying every time I strum these songs. I feel that I’ve honed in on what my sound is. Hopefully, it’s a sound that’s all my own."