New song written by:

David Cooper - Music

Ron Todd - Lyrics

Performed and produced by David Cooper.

Lyrics by Ron Todd

She looked down at the picture
Silver frame with a life between
The lines now on her face
Weren't there at seventeen

She'd met him at the station
While waiting for a train
He was lean and dark and handsome
Jody Jackson was his name

Chorus

The flowers in a garden 
Don't always stay in bloom 
When winter's hand comes calling 
They fade away too soon

They set up home in Georgia 
Life was good and it was new
But a wandering eye it took him
To some secret rendezvous

He left her in the Summer
With a child turned barely nine
Every day a constant struggle
Since he took off down the line

Chorus

Bridge

Life is not a straight road
There are forks along the way
And like the changing seasons
Some are blue and some are grey

Music break

So here she is years later
With her daughter now eighteen
Sitting looking at the picture
Thinking how it might have been

For her daughter started courting
And it all goes round again
He is lean and dark and handsome
Billy Stephens is his name

Chorus

Life Is Not A Straight Road (Cooper/Todd Collaboration)

This album is a unique compilation of rhythm tracks that combine drum kit rhythms like funk, hip-hop and disco with world music percussion. The tracks include various arrangements as well as solo phrases on percussion. These tracks were put together using Simon’s “Total Groove” loops project which has been used as the template for 5 albums, providing rich and varied rhythmic ideas and platforms for building songs. Originally used as demo tracks, the album now stands alone as it’s own creative project.

Latin Funk

Sidi El Gnaoui is the first single of Dar Haleshla’s EP “Feenkoum?”
Inspired by the trance rhythms, melodies and instruments of the “Gnaoua” style of music, Sidi El Gnaoui features Mouna Eddrou’s haunting Sufi vocals, Simon’s blistering percussion licks and a driving house beat, creating a heady, hypnotic mix.

“Feenkoum?”  (which means “where are you?” in Arabic) is the first house music EP from the duo “Haleshla” and French producer and musician Delta Patch under the project name of “Dar Haleshla”. Haleshla’s normal style is a re-make of traditional Moroccan music, notably the Sufi styles from Meknès.

“Dar Haleshla” combines percussive and vocal elements of these traditional styles with House music beats and arrangements, and dub reggae sound effects.

Produced by French musician and producer Sylvain Loisel, Dar Haleshla has a unique sound and style. Each of the four tracks has its own sonic universe and journey but the four tracks together as an EP present a cohesive and unique project.

Download the track from Simon's website here:

https://www.simonwebster.org.uk/shop/singles/sidi-el-gnaoui/

Sidi El Gnaoui by Dar Haleshla

Chouf !

Salam Alikoum

Cheikh Chelwachi

Mahna

Simon is a professional drummer, percussionist and singer songwriter. He played on the London session scene as a backing musician, toured all over the world with various world music artists such as Natacha Atlas and Yasmin Levy and writes and performs his own songs. He also has a large library of drum and percussion loops.

Latin Funk

Simon Webster Artist