Ned LeDoux Safe Haven

Ned LeDoux’s life has been scarred by tragedy, and when faced with unimaginable losses, the singer-songwriter was presented with a choice: either drown in the sorrow, or turn these lives gone too soon into music, into song-like statues of the people he misses most. LeDoux, who has been releasing solo music since 2017 but has been a touring musician since his teenage years, has always opted for the latter. It’s what has made the songwriter and son of country legend Chris LeDoux such a worthy heir apparent as a renegade, heartfelt crooner.

His first full-length, 2017’s Sagebrush, includes “Forever A Cowboy,” an instant classic addition to the outlaw canon which quickly became a fan favorite and a staple at his shows. On his most recent album, Buckskin, LeDoux embraced a rollicking, freewheeling sound, a pummeling response to the hand he’d been dealt, which included tragically having to bury his beloved daughter Haven, who died at the age of two in 2019. It’s this history, filled with loss — his dad died in 2005 at the all-too-young age of 56 — that informs LeDoux’s work. But in his latest album, touchingly titled Safe Haven, produced by Mac McAnally, he uses the memories of those he has lost to help him carry on with joy, celebration, and a faith that they are guiding his work.

1. Boys Growing Up
2. My Father's Boots
3. One Hand In The Riggin'
4. Legend Born
5. Workin' Man's Dollar
6. Story Of The Hired Hand
7. Real As I Believe
8. Haven's Lullaby
9. Long Ride
10. New Roads
11. Traveling Man
12. Six Bucks a Day