We meant to live inside a song that would go on and on and on is the opening line to the first track, “We Were Right,” on Dudley Saunders new CD “Monsters.” It’s true that Dudley was meant to live inside a song as he carelessly travels through each number presented with uninhibited ease and simple presentation.

Kentucky boy Dudley Saunders didn’t start his career as a singer-songwriter, however he chose another creative side in Art. He wrote a songs to accompany his Performance-Art Pieces and the songs developed a life of their own pulling Dudley towards music as his main priority.

Much like the numerous folk based performers before him, well known and never discovered, the secret to mastering this genre is getting lost in your craft and letting passion take over creating an intimate experience that touches the performers soul as well as the listeners.

I feel that Dudley’s songs began as poems waiting for a musical journey. Many of the verses tend to eventually play off each other often in dark display, but never with evil intent. The closing verse in “Zero Out,” (and if my fingers snag inside your jacket sleeve or catch the corners of your untucked shirt, a piece of you will end up interweaved, within the boxes of a family’s hurt) evokes a hidden pain that is thankfully released in song.

A folk singer presents their thoughts and feelings and in the most part lets you interpret their meaning to your own opinions. This is why many songs have different messages. Sure the writer has based it on something from their existence or views, but the magic is in what the listener determines from the lyric. Dudley’s songs summon characters that you don’t run into on the outside, but are in reality what is found inside. Exploring this nature in music is quite interesting and experimental, and Mr. Saunders seems to have found a niche in this audio art form.

In the closing of “What I Won’t Do,” (and if I promise to cry at the service when you die, would you mind much if I didn’t try to save your life) carries several ideas. Each of us play a role in the lives of every person we meet everyday. A simple word or gesture can change a path or direction to someone loved or a complete stranger. Some people go on their way without even a thought as to how their actions may effect others. As Dudley would say “What Rats Are We.”