S

ome 25 years ago, when Ethan Daniel 
Davidson was a touring singer-song-
writer-instrumentalist, he spent time in 
a remote area of Alaska to think through the 
direction of his life. 
From his cabin, Davidson hiked and 
chopped wood in-between reading the Jewish 
philosophy of Martin Buber and the verses of 
Yukon poet Robert Service.
The long-term impact of those experiences 
come together in the title song of his new 
album, Come Down Lonesome, now available 
on LP
, CD and digital download. The album 
features other original and cover songs.
“I got the title from a line in Martin Buber’
s 
book I and Thou,” Davidson explained about 
mulling over connections to God. “Buber 
says, ‘
Come down Lonesome One to the lone-
some,
’
 and I was really moved by that. 
“I didn’
t use that song for years, but as I 
thought about it and the kind of songs we 
selected for this recording — old folk songs 
about loneliness, introspection or longing for 
some kind of connection — that seemed to be 
expressed by the idea ‘
Come Down Lonesome 
One’
 and be with us lonesome folk down 
here.
”
After working on the album for two years, 
Davidson thinks of the title song as especially 
appropriate with people isolating because of 
COVID-19.

“I think about all the people who 
live alone,
” he said. “How difficult 
must that be for them. I hope 
everybody [else] out there is keep-
ing them in mind.
” 
Davidson also is director and 
Grants Committee chair of the 
William Davidson Foundation and 
chairman of the Michigan Opera 
Theatre (MOT) Board of Directors 
and Trustees. He moved away from 
touring before the pandemic and 
has been isolating with his wife, album pro-
ducer and instrumentalist Gretchen Gonzales 
Davidson, and their children. 
“We were focusing on putting the album 
out in March or April, and then the pandemic 
hit,
” said Davidson, 50. “We thought we’
d wait 
another six months and see what happens. 
Either life would get back to normal, or we’
d 
try to think of some different way of releasing 
this without doing anything public.
”
Davidson’
s track selections include songs 
considered for previous albums, essentially 
at the discretion of his wife along with fellow 
producer Warren Defever. 
Among the nine tracks are personalized 
versions of Bob Dylan’
s “I Dreamed I Saw St. 
Augustine” and Charlie Rich’
s “I Washed My 
Hands in Muddy Water.
” 
One Davidson original that brings a dif-
ferent sound among the folk arrangements is 
“Someday I’
ll Be Caught.
” It’
s about looking 
for an enduring romantic relationship, and 
the melody is reminiscent of torch songs. 
Davidson, who enjoys all kinds of musical 
styles, can be heard playing various instru-
ments as one track moves into another — 
guitar, banjo, organ, hurdy-gurdy, didgeridoo 
and cello banjo. 
And he still has that cabin in Alaska. Just in 
case solitude beckons. 

Arts&Life

music

‘Lonesome’ Dove

Ethan Davidson’
s new album examines 
solitude and introspection.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

46 | AUGUST 27 • 2020 

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Ethan Davidson

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