The Riggley Road Stories (1997)

What began as a lone lyric on the studio floor has, with time, become an epic tale of life, death, sin, and redemption. When songwriter Rees Shad concluded sessions for his 1996 debut, Anderson, Ohio, he was left with a song, "Incident on Riggley Road," that didn't make the final cut. But the track stayed with him, growing from a singular entity into Shad's second offering, The Riggley Road Stories, a folky, rolling song cycle that etches itself into your consciousness with its simple, honest, sometimes harsh descriptions of four lives destroyed by a tragic childhood accident. The disc comes accompanied by a novella of sorts, vignettes inspired by the original song became inspiration for the new material. Taken singularly, both pieces are worth attention, especially for those enthralled by traditional American folk tales and music. Considered together, they become a bittersweet modern classic, combining to fully realize a haunting vision. --Alexandra Russell