Midwest singer/songwriter Michael Stanley found regional success in several pockets of the United States during the ‘70s and ‘80s with his eponymous Michael Stanley Band, charting Billboard Top 40 hits with ‘He Can’t Love You’ and ‘My Town.’

Although that success never really translated nationally, Stanley remains popular with fans, particularly in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, where he continues to write and record at a prolific pace and has just released his newest solo album, ‘The Hang.’

‘The Hang’ is Stanley’s seventh solo release since 2003 and his first following what he calls “a particularly daunting 18-month period in my life.”

Clocking in at over 70 minutes in length, Stanley is making up for lost time with 12 songs, comprised of both originals and covers of tracks by Patty Griffin and, notably, of Dire Straits‘ ‘Romeo and Juliet.’

Recorded with his longtime band the Resonators, Stanley says that while the album is dark in tone, he also feels that “it’s a testament of hope to the power we accrue from those we chose to have at our side on our journey.”

Stanley found his first break when record producer Bill Szymczyk (who’s worked with the Eagles, B.B. King and Joe Walsh) discovered his music, which led to Stanley’s first two albums: ‘Michael Stanley’ and ‘Friends and Legends,’ both of which featured guest appearances from Walsh, Todd Rundgren and David Sanborn.

In fact, it was Walsh who urged Stanley to pursue music as a full-time career, which planted the seeds for the Michael Stanley Band.

Szymczyk, who remains involved with Stanley’s music, contributed his mixing talents to ‘The Hang,’ the latest chapter in Stanley’s 45-year career.

Michael Stanley and the Resonators will support the release of the album with regional concerts including a set of March show dates at the Tangier in Akron, Ohio.

You can listen to samples from ‘The Hang’ here.

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