"Ben Bedford is the real deal. Ben's voice is true and honest." Stacy Bernard, Backraods-KDHX St. Louis, MO "Ben Bedford has proven himself to be a truly inspired and talented songwriter." Arthur Wood, Maverick (UK) With the release of his third studio album, What We Lost, Ben Bedford establishes himself as a songwriter in the tradition of icons ranging from Woody Guthrie to Bill Morrissey, casting individual people into the theater of the American landscape. A true son of the heartland, Bedford also dips into the deep inkwell of classic American literature and writes with the 'old soul' quality of his literary idols, such as John Steinbeck and Toni Morrison. The characters in this group of songs are looking for something, whether it be meaning, truth, justice, peace, or freedom. The title track is written from the perspective of Bedford's grandfather after the death of his brother during WWII. He muses in the refrain, "...maybe we will not remember what we lost and what we won." These are touchstone words for the entire album, as Bedford explores the dichotomy of personal loss and private victory. Born in the quintessential American small town, Bedford's songs are colored by the vast midwestern American landscape of his home, focusing on precise details which set the characters off clearly from that backdrop. As on his 2009 release, Land of the Shadows, Bedford employs his unique and poignant portrait style of writing. “Vachel," a song about the poet and Springfield, Illinois native,Vachel Lindsay, chronicles the tumultuous life and demise of this itinerant and misunderstood figure. The deserted mound city of the Mississippian culture, “Cahokia,” is celebrated in the song of the same name, while “Fire in His Bones” sketches the incendiary life of Charlie Patton, one of the fathers of the Delta Blues. “Fallen” is an account of a same-sex couple that falls in love while working the flatboats of the Illinois and Sangamon Rivers. The song illustrates the idea that love is love, regardless of sexual orientation. “John the Baptist” is a searing and often unflattering portrait of the predecessor to the modern televangelist, while “Empty Sky” is a semi-autobiographical retelling of the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, but with a twist: Adam and Eve find paradise, not punishment, outside of the garden. Much as the characters within these songs seek for meaning, Bedford challenges the religious mythology of his youth in his own personal quest for understanding of the natural world. Chas Williams (former side man to Nanci Griffith) again joins Bedford to co-produce and play on the album. His melodic electric guitar provides the sinew that binds the songs together sonically. Bedford and Williams sought to create a warm yet crisp, vast musical landscape where Bedford's songs take center stage. If Williams' guitar is the sinew and Bedford's vocals and acoustic guitar are the heart, the other players are the muscle and bone of the album. Those other musicians who add their signature touches include Kari Bedford (harmonies), Peter Young (drums and percussion), Adam Gardner (bass), Ron de la Vega (cello) and Dennis Wage (Hammond B3 organ). Bedford will spend the remainder of 2012 and the entire year of 2013 touring in support of the album.