For Jeff Scott, the passage of time brings much reflection and acknowledgment.

It’s a matter of finding comfort in the present moment, making peace with the past and focusing on the future.

“Like many have felt the past few years, I finally became very conscious of the fact that I had been living with a constant sense of unease. It’s been caused by a few things: the hangover from the pandemic, clearly growing older, losing many people and [witnessing] world events,” said Scott, a Troy, Michigan singer-songwriter, about his new single, “I’m Alright With This World.”

“I wanted and needed to let it all go and to return to the living. It’s not meant to be Pollyannaish; the lyrics are very direct and honest, I believe. It’s meant to be a mantra for myself to stop the noise, acknowledge the present and take stock of all I have to be grateful for. And I’m hoping it provides that to others as well.”

On “I’m Alright With This World,” Scott beautifully expresses those notions through perceptive lyrics and serene, jazzy soft-rock instrumentation.

He sings, “So I made my peace, and I made amends / Made my mistakes and I’m bound to again / But I surely will not worry about that ‘til then / Cause right now, I’m alright with this world.”

“I fully acknowledge the world isn’t that great of a place right now for many reasons, but I believe it’s really important to ground ourselves in what we may be lucky enough to personally experience and accept the grace of that,” Scott said.

I recently spoke with Scott about wrapping up 2023, finding inspiration in life, looking back at other releases, writing and recording “I’m Alright With This World” and making plans for the new year.

Q: As you look back, how has your 2023 been so far? What’s still left for you to do before year’s end?

A: 2023 has been good. It’s been a period of quiet personal growth, and with my music, [I’ve spent] much time thinking about “what’s next” along with simply living life. I’m trying to help my family, playing a few live shows and showing up to support musical friends when I can. Simple things. Right now, with three weeks left to the year, I’m finishing writing what I hope will be my next single.

Q: What has been inspiring you lately? Is there a current song, album, book, film or other creative work that speaks to you these days?

A: I can’t cite a specific work; that tends to wax and wane, although I’ve been listening repeatedly to “Train in the Distance” by Paul Simon. The story and lyric invention are incredible. What I do know is that my antenna is up and has been up for some months during conversations with many different people. I’m hearing them express themselves, what they’re saying and how they’re saying it. My brain tends to latch on to fragments of those conversations and think about them as possibilities for a song.

Q: It’s been a year since you shared “The Comeback Kid,” nearly three years since you released your single/video for “Some Better Days” and five years since you released your Nola to New York album. What do those songs and album mean to you when you hear them? What’s it like to release your first new material since then?

A: Has it been a year since the live video release of “The Comeback Kid?” LOL. It hasn’t even been properly recorded yet! When I do hear them, and I don’t listen to them purposefully much at all, it’s a kind of critical fondness I feel: what I was thinking and doing at the time, what emotional statement I was trying to make, how I might have succeeded or failed in communicating that and the experiences we had during those sessions.

A major part of those memories is also the sudden and unexpected death of Dan McCann just a few days before “Some Better Days” was released. Dan played drums for me (and many others) in the studio and for some live shows. His death absolutely knocked the wind out of me, and then it was followed by a few other friends. I really didn’t want to play or write for a year and I believe I aged quickly. So I have mixed emotions.

I also think about how the pandemic changed everything in terms of how I approach writing and recording, the cycle of it and how songs end up being recorded and/or released now. All that said, it feels very gratifying to release an actual new single now. It was time for me, and I’m excited to get it out there.

Q: “I’m Alright With This World” also reflects on coming to terms with people you’ve lost and the mistakes you’ve made. How did this track provide you with a sense of catharsis, renewal and freedom?

A: I had the opportunity to debut the song at The Ark in October opening for my good friend, the great songwriter Bill Edwards. As I told the audience, as I was assessing all of that—the mistakes and all of the friends, family and others I’ve lost the past three or four years—I realized many my age were going through the same thing. And second, that’s simply life. It’s the nature of life; it’s the cycle of life. And the sooner I accepted that and didn’t fight against it, the sooner I would feel free again.

Q: When did you write “I’m Alright With This World?” Where was it recorded in Troy, Michigan and Nashville, Tennessee? How long was the recording process and what was it like for you?

A: I wrote the song in September. It went through significant lyric revisions to make each line more and more simple. It also took me a bit of time to land on the changes and melody for the bridge and support the lyrics emotionally. I recorded my vocals and guitar in my home studio in Troy. The rest was performed and recorded at Jon Estes’ home studio in Nashville. It should be noted there’s a big difference between those home studios—mine is functional, but his is the real deal.

Q: How and when did you come to meet Jon Estes? What was it like to co-produce and collaborate with Jon on “I’m Alright With This World?” How did Jon help shape the track’s overall sound?

A: Thanks to Bill Edwards, in August I attended a songwriting camp in Nashville hosted by Rodney Crowell. Jon, who has worked with Crowell and many other well-known musicians and songwriters, was hired to assist all the songwriters during our performances as needed. He also performed with many of the guest teachers during their live sets, and he did that on standup bass, piano and guitar. He could have played a dozen more. Jon’s a very talented multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer and engineer.

Jon and I just hit it off, despite the age difference and experience difference (his being much greater), and I think we both sensed that we had a shared sensibility about making music. I also knew that Jon’s depth as a producer and arranger was something I could both learn and benefit from, so we stayed in touch.

After I performed the song at The Ark, we got in touch and decided to work together. That shared sensibility I mentioned made it a really great experience from the first demo to the finished record. Jon had a definite point of view about how the song should be rendered—how it should sound, what worked in terms of structure, all of it.

We only disagreed about one thing, and ultimately, he was right about that. Most importantly, Jon pushed me in some very good ways. It was very freeing to defer to his expertise and excellence. The end result is something I believe is deceptively simple with a lot of emotional resonance.

Q: What upcoming live shows do you have planned for this winter?

A: Nothing planned as of yet. I hope to schedule a live show for the spring.

Q: What’s up next for you in 2024? Any plans to write, record and release new material? If so, then do you plan to continue with singles? What about an EP or a full-length album?

A: I’m writing a lot now and plan to release another single early in the new year. Right now, I intend to release a series of singles and then rerelease the collection as an EP or album. We’ll see how that goes. Life, right?