New Single: Doubt Riding Shotgun

Doubt Riding Shotgun

Doubt Riding Shotgun began the way many meaningful songs do: through shared experience, honest conversation, and a familiar inner voice most creatives know all too well.

I met songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Harris while co-writing a song called St. Catastrophe with Chris Sahlin at one of Andrea Stolpe’s songwriting retreats in Southern California. That collaboration—keys, melody, harmony, guitar, Dobro, shared lyrics—turned into a released track and, more importantly, a genuine creative connection built on trust and ease.

Not long after, I shared my book Doubt Riding Shotgun with Jeff. The idea landed immediately. As musicians, we both recognized the truth at the center of it: doubt doesn’t disappear—you learn how to drive with it in the car. Jeff suggested writing a “theme song” inspired by the book, and that’s where things got interesting.

We agreed on the concept, but not entirely on the sound. Jeff comes from a rockabilly and roots-rock background; I lean more toward JJ Cale and Bill Withers. Instead of forcing a single version, we let both instincts exist. The result: two songs with the same title, shaped by different styles, perspectives, and lyrical angles. Same idea. Different roads.

As Jeff put it: “I guess doubt comes in many forms.”

My version of Doubt Riding Shotgun sits somewhere between swampy Americana and rolling roots rock—loose, human, and a little defiant. Think cruising music for moments when your confidence wavers but your hands stay on the wheel. It’s a song about showing up anyway, stepping into the spotlight with a knot in your stomach, and choosing to play the song even when the voice in the passenger seat says not to.

That’s true. And this song is about learning how to live—and create—with it riding along.

Doubt Riding Shotgun by Dave Hill Jr. comes out on January 22, 2026

You can hear it now at Dave’s Bandcamp site.

I will post a link to Jeff’s song here once it is available.