Search “Daniel Young” online and most of the results are NOT about the singer-songwriter, guitarist, drummer, sound engineer, and producer from Salt Lake City. You will find a handful of videos (including one from Merlefest shot on a cellphone), a couple of short local newspaper items, and his website but nothing that will prepare you for the excellent record he’s about to release.

The World Ain’t Gonna Wait is Young’s third full length album. It’s the follow up to Television Static released in March 2020 just as the music industry came to a screeching halt. The album was recorded, mixed, mastered and produced by Daniel Young at the Orchard Studio in his North Salt Lake, Utah home. Young also wrote all of the songs on the record except the opening track.

The instrumental “Muskrat Mud Shuffle” gives the record a joyous start. The track was written by Virginia’s Bobby “Muskrat” Reames and features his magnificent pedal steel skills. “Distance of Somewhere” features more pedal steel from Muskrat and a relaxed vocal from Young. Near the end of the tune, an electric guitar speaks up that gives a hint that a more intense sound is on the way. Muskrat’s pedal steel is featured for the last time on the record on “Take It or Leave It” as more of the band joins in and Young’s vocals gain strength. All of this to get to the record’s centerpiece.

Guest artists are not always featured in a way that showcases their skills. Sometimes, if it weren’t for liner notes, you wouldn’t even realize they played on a particular song. That is not the case for “The World Ain’t Gonna Wait.” Sizzling slide guitar solos from Sadler Vaden (of Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit band) and a tasty organ solo from Trevor Nealon (from the Band of Heathens) are both prominently featured. Young’s vocal is confident and the band finally comes together as the album hits its stride with this spectacular song.

After that romp, the pace of the record slows down with the acoustic “Hit the Moon” featuring more significant contributions from guest artists. The mandolin of Jay Lapp and the fiddle of Eric Brubaker (both of Virginia’s celebrated Steel Wheels band) give the track its melody and help carry Young’s effective harmonized vocals.

“Hold You Tighter” begins with a solo acoustic guitar then adds Young’s vocals and each other instrument comes in as the song continues to build while maintaining a laid-back attitude. Daniel Young’s most confident vocals may be on “If I Wait” - a quiet song featuring only an acoustic guitar, pedal steel, and understated drums. The combination of the piano of Ben Child and Young’s vocal that opens “Every Leaf That Falls” immediately calls Leon Russell to mind. More pedal steel and muted drums add depth to this quiet masterpiece.

Beloved Utah musician, Pat Campbell, played his final session for this album and his drums open the jaunty “Bring It On Down.” Young sings: “Have we been framed like a photograph / Have we been set up without even asked / Face to face, what are you gonna do / You gonna answer to us or give us your bullshit attitude?” Eric Brubaker returns to add his fiddle to the track which gives the record a strong finish. Like exit music for a show, “Yonder Yucca” is an instrumental featuring an acoustic guitar and more pedal steel which allows the album to metaphorically ride off into the sunset.

The World Ain’t Gonna Wait is best listened to on vinyl; not because of any superior audio quality but that format will force you to hear the tracks in the order in which they were programmed. There is a definite flow to the album that will be missed if listened to in shuffle mode or just randomly streamed tracks. Hopefully, Daniel Young can get out of Utah in 2021 and hit the road to allow more to enjoy his new music. I expect the internet will notice as well.