Dave Murphy Announces ‘A Heart So Rare’; Debuts Lead Single “October Skies”

New Jersey Americana artist Dave Murphy’s new alt-country single “October Skies” (featuring James Maddock) is an introspective and contemplative song rich with layered guitars, including the distinctive sound of a twelve-string Rickenbacker and Maddock’s gorgeous harmonies. It lyrically places us in the New Jersey setting that is quintessentially Murphy — laying in the grass with his love at Princeton Battlefield State Park, thinking about all the folks who died there during the American Revolution, the struggles of the past and all of his choices that led to this moment.

“It strips me raw / exposing skin and scars / the choices I have made / taking the hardest way,” he sings just before an excellent guitar solo that’s reminiscent of The Byrds or The Jayhawks.

New album A Heart So Rare (out January 31st is a fearless, heartfelt reflection on human fallibility, love lost, transition, and acceptance. It relays, in honest detail, the mistakes and longing of a man encountering the weight of divorce, all the while embracing moments of surrender, forgiveness, and mystery. There’s always hope for redemption, and this record beautifully catalogues his journey towards it.

He assembled a crew of heavy hitters for this record including legendary Saturday Night Live house drummer Shawn Pelton (Sheryl Crow, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen), keyboardist Rob Clores (Jesse Malin, Charli XCX, Lucinda Williams), bassist Richard Hammond (Joan Osborne, Hamilton: Original Broadway Cast), Grammy-winner Ben Wisch, Todd Caldwell (Graham Nash, Crosby, Stills & Nash), Mark Erelli, and James Maddock.

Murphy is a cancer survivor and an accomplished performer who’s toured in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, and the UK. He’s shared stages with Steve Forbert, Suzanne Vega, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Mike Doughty of Soul Coughing, Alejandro Escovedo, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and his Chasing Ghosts album featured Nicole Atkins and Forbert. He received consistent airplay for his last four albums on AAA, Americana, and folk radio stations across North America and Europe.

Murphy’s been recognized time and again for his exceptional storytelling through song. Dubbed “a musical Raymond Carver” by Twin Cities Revue, he earned first place in the Great American Song Contest for his song “Chesapeake.” He was named a co-winner at the New Jersey Folk Festival Songwriters Showcase and a finalist in several marquee contests, including Kerrville New Folk Contest, Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival Songwriting Contest, Mountain Stage NewSong Contest, and Susquehanna Music & Arts Festival Songwriting Contest.

A Heart So Rare is an album about accepting your place in the world with hope and gratitude. It wrestles with concepts of mortality and legacy while reminding us to stay present and embrace the mystery of our unwritten futures. Murphy is a storyteller of the highest calibre, and if you’re willing to truly listen, this album will move you.

A Heart So Rare Track Listing:

1. October Skies (feat. James Maddock)
2. Josephine
3. After the Hurricane
4. Strawberry Red (feat. James Maddock)
5. Planet of Pain II
6. I Wish I Could Tell You
7. If I Could Fly
8. Take a Ride with Me
9. Red
10. One More Time (feat. Mark Erelli)

Dave Murphy ‘A Heart So Rare’ album artwork