"As soon as we heard the opening line of the near-11 minute cosmic-country road epic, 'West Texas Trilogy', 'I can smell gasoline and tacos...' we knew we had to release this one" Jerry David DeCicca's fourth solo album, The Unlikely Optimist and His Domestic Adventures, is an anti-Hallmark ode to positivity set in the Texas Hill Country where he lives. Dark gray in one corner, silly in another, humorous but always human, it features Augie Meyers (Sir Douglas Quintet) on Vox Continental and squeezebox, Ralph White (Bad Livers) on violin and kalimaba, Frank "The Wild Jalapeno" Rodarte (Doug Sahm) on tenor sax, and JDD's buddies, electric guitarist Don Cento (Sarah Jaffee), bassist Canaan Faulkner (Black Swans, Will Beeley), drummer Jovan Karcic (Scrawl), and his partner, Eve Searls, on backing and duet vocals. Some of the songs: "I See Horizons" is a mediation that peaks over the next ledge; "Coffee Black" is a wake-up call to mellowing out; "Texas Toad" finds joy in the little creatures among us; "West Texas Trilogy" is a road song that trances and traces poverty, nature, memory and music along the border to Big Bend; "Quiet Life" just sits on the front porch. DeCicca's day-job is as a provider of vocational rehabilitation services (which means he works with individuals with disabilities to obtain and maintain competitive and integrated employment in their communities), as well as recording, producing and compiling music for lost legends of country music like Will Beeley, Elyse Weinerg and Bob Martin, working for labels such as Numero Group and Tompkins Square. "My whole life, I've struggled with anxiety and depression. But through music, people who love me, and meaningful work, I've gathered enough light to keep getting out of bed. And, in my own way, I've gradually become a happier person, despite the garbage world that maybe we've always lived in. This is a record about self-reflection and gratitude, but not in a cheesy way." Considering this one was recorded pre-pandemic, it has almost become the perfect pandemic record -- an ode to the simple pleasures of life, reflecting on our role on this wild sphere, and holding on tight to the ones you love. Housed in the beautiful artwork of Jeb Loy Nichols.