After some personal time with his family, a reunion with an old friend, and many long nights in the studio, Mark David Manders reemerges with Cannonball, an exuberant record that embraces the love for music that inspired his impulsive start as a Texas country singer. "I love to entertain and when it comes down to it, music, for me, is about being on stage, making the crowd scream. I live for the people singing along to my songs and making them happy. That's what I imagined when writing Cannonball." It was Mark's passion that attracted new Texas start up label Big Karma Records to sign him. "I have never seen an artist that has more widespread appeal than Mark," says Big Karma founder, Jim Slaton. "He has that unique ability where anyone that listens to his music feels it touches them personally, and that's a once in a lifetime quality. Combine that with the explosiveness of his live show and you have a truly amazing artist." Mark's last album, Highs and Lows, marked a more introspective point in his life exposing his deeper side. However, with Cannonball, Mark journeys back to the good old days when he was lighting up Texas pubs and saloons on a nightly basis with his songs that embody the great yet simple things that life has to offer. The album has a light, feel-good sound that echoes Mark's sentiment about "going back to the basics and making music fun and exciting again." With his songs, you find yourself listening to a humble, close knit band in a studio that truly loves to play together for their fans and for the sake of just having a good time. Don't let the levity of the album fool you though. Within every song, Mark casts his lyrical spell upon every note and story he tells. The poet in Mark will live on forever and his fascination with words and meanings underlie each song. "Lyrics are still the most important part of a song," he says. "It's a fine line between a good feeling song and a well written song. My goal was to try to bring those two together." Mark reached his goal with Cannonball, where wild nights of drinking meet the hazy, slow moving mornings. "With a lot of these songs, I'm just having fun. With others, I just wanted to let stuff out." The first single, "I'm Alright," immediately hooks you with its flirtatious acoustic guitar accompanied by Manders' casual voice singing "I'm Alright if you're alright, Alright?" You can not help but reminisce about those crazy nights when you've just had to laugh with a friend at what you've gotten yourselves into. "God only knows what a trip it's been. But tomorrow we're gonna do it all again." Mark does, in fact, do it all again by bringing back his popular bar sing-a-long "Three Fingers Tequila." An instant hit originally, the song is reincarnated with the talented genius of Ed Cherney, the Grammy-winning engineer most known for his work with the Rolling Stones. Recorded at the famous Village Recorder in Los Angeles, Mark was joined by his former fiddle player, Heather Woodruff, Bonnie Raitt's musicians and Blondie Chaplin, a backup vocalist for the Rolling Stones. The eclectic collaboration results in a faster, wilder tribute to crazy nights had by shots of the devil's nectar. The title song, "Cannonball," demonstrates Mark's ability to tell stories in the most unexpected and often ‘out –there' manner. Originally about a guy who is losing his mind over a girl, the song mirrors a parable complete with clever metaphors and references about how life is often times complete chaos. "I saw it all comin' down, just like a Cannonball landin' in a fishbowl." Manders refers to "Cannonball" has one of his favorite songs because it encompasses the craziness and spontaneity that went into making the album. "I really like the off the wall stuff. It's amazing when you can go as far off as you can go but still tie it all up in the end and bring it back." Mark's storytelling truly reaches a new level with "My Old Friend." The song's relaxed, conversational tone perfectly compliments the lifelong story the song tells. The lyrics immediately capture your attention and you can't help but lose yourself in the nostalgic tale. "And hardly a day goes by that we don't talk together on the phone. I guess it's come full circle in a round about kind of way. Our paths have crossed so many times they've finally learned to stay." As fascinating as his stories are, it is the live shows that keep the fire burning in Mark. He continues to tour relentlessly around Texas, while also becoming a frequent performer in Los Angeles and on the west coast. His now famous "Manders' Tracks," a row of empty shot glasses and beer bottles that are left on the stage after his show, are a testament to the one of a kind experience it is to watch him play. "My job is to entertain. Every time someone stands up on a table and throws a beer, I think, damn, we've done our job."