Toledo Blade

If there was an award called Underrated Guitarists You Really Should Get to Know Better, Nashville-based Canadian Steve Dawson would be one of the contenders.

I felt fortunate to have become acquainted with Dawson’s talent a few years before he visited Toledo in November of 2019 to play one song before a limited audience.

Dawson accompanied the Birds of Chicago when it stopped at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo en route to its concert at The Ark in Ann Arbor in November of 2019.

The group had agreed to perform Toledo native and Birds of Chicago member JT Nero’s 2017 folk song, “American Flowers,” which includes a passing reference to the mosque in its lyrics.

On a side note, Nero’s wife, Allison Russell, began her solo career shortly after that visit and her success went up into the stratosphere almost instantly. Russell appears on three songs on Dawson’s new album, which is itself is an outstanding collection of roots music.

Eyes Closed, Dreaming is the third installment of Dawson’s “pandemic trilogy,” yet — unlike a lot of songs that musicians were inspired to write and perform while much of the world stayed home during the height of the crisis — this isn’t a weepy disc or anything full of angst. There’s great storytelling and, of course, great music. 

It’s imaginative and uplifting, not a downer. Dawson’s earthy vocals and down-home vibe add a fine touch to this 11-song set, including four originals. Many songs explore themes of love and fulfillment of life.

Supporting musicians play anything from mandolin to cello and drums to horns, with tracks laid down anywhere from Vancouver to Nashville, Los Angeles, and Toronto.