Alternate Album Covers

So in the making of any great piece of art, whether it be a film, a painting or an album, there are great ideas that end up on the cutting room floor. In an effort to give you some behind the scenes look at the creative process that goes into the making of great album artwork, I thought I might share some of the earlier incarnations of the cover for "I'm Just the Same as I Was."

This one was my favorite because it really spoke to my passion for mud-flap babes. There's also something innocent and fresh about it like the cover of a Raffi record. Sadly, it was shot down in some early focus group testing because apparently people thought it sent the wrong message.

As an artist, above all else, I challenge myself to be as honest as I can be. Because we can't all be beautiful without the help of some creative camera angles, plastic surgery and photoshop wizardry, I wanted to go with this raw, untouched image. Something magic happened in this photo that says: "here I am, a little bloated, a little wall-eyed, but hey, love me anyway."

The camera is a fickle mistress. Jason O'Donnell, the masterful photographer behind the lens worked very hard to capture my best side during this shoot. I think in this shot, he nailed it. The only reason we did not go with this one was because Jason is a real stickler for technical details and he felt this shot was just slightly out of focus.

This cover idea was something my wife came up with. She's always felt like my arm is my best attribute, so we should lead with it in all the marketing materials. I thought it was a wonderfully unique cropping choice and invokes a sense of mystery that I always enjoy. Unfortunately, this idea too was shot down by some early critics who felt it was important for fans to actually see my face. Go figure.