Songwriter, composer, arranger, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Van Dyke Parks has been at his craft since 1963, when as a 20 year old he arranged some of the score for Disney's The Jungle Book. Since that time, his list of projects is mind-boggling. As a musician in the 60's, he got his start with appearances with such acts as Frank Zappa, Judy Collins, and The Byrds. His first album of his own, Song Cycle, established him as someone who refused to be boxed into any one genre, mixing classical, pop, bluegrass, musical theater show tunes, and ragtime elements. As expected of most such albums, the record sold poorly, but attracted a cult following for Parks that continues (and has only grown) since that time. It is this cult status that led to Parks being asked to produce, arrange, and generally offer his signature musical stylings to countless musicians in the past 40 years, including Ringo Starr, Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, U2, Joanna Newsom, Inara George (half of The Bird and the Bee who have a song on this mix), and many many more. He also contributed significant lyrical content to the unreleased final Beach Boys album Smile.

This constant demand has limited releases of his own albums over his long career. When Songs Cycled came out in 2013, it had been almost a decade since his previous record. This album, which has a title based on his original 1972 cult classic, has nothing else to do with that record, other than the fact that, according to Parks, it could be a conclusion to his recording career due to financial and physical challenges. One other thing it has in common with Song Cycle is its genre-busting musical exploration. By this time though, Parks has refined his sound to a more unified approach, writing what often sounds like Americana on steroids - wild tempo, key, and time signature changes; crazy layers of vocal and string arrangements all over his signature accordion, and lyrics that reveal the dark underbelly of an America dominated by the wealthy. His lyrics are almost reminiscent of classic leftist Americana pioneers such as Woody Guthrie.

Even if Parks bows out of creating his own material, he will undoubtedly continue to be approached to score, arrange, and produce albums and films. Hopefully he'll continue to make his unique mark on modern music for as long as he can.