A break from familiarity

"Why did you choose not to use members of ‘Huey Lewis and The News’ to make ‘Lucky Devil’?" 

I didn’t use the guys probably for the same reasons Huey didn’t use HLN during his hiatus in 1993-94. I wanted a break from familiarity . . . something more edgy. I think Gibson plays on a track or two, but that’s it. At that point in time I’d put in over thirteen years with HLN, and I wanted to work with some ‘new blood’ for a fresh take on my stuff. 

There’s that, and it’s a hell of a lot easier to tell folks what to play and sing when you’re the boss! HLN was (and is) a well-oiled production machine - a real democracy in that sense – and it served us well. I suppose ‘Lucky Devil’ was my little autocracy, and I wanted some new ‘scrappy’ enthusiasm and attitude as the songs developed.