Fate Rumbled is a song cycle that exposes an emperor with no clothes The song ideas and lyrics were developed and written during the 2016 presidential campaign, in the months leading up to the election. I was on a flight to Honolulu just freewriting. These were my observations and reactions to what was happening, what was incubating, what was deteriorating. I was riveted by the craziness that overtook the press, the candidates and the electorate. It was like seeing a wreck on the highway and being unable to look away. And while Howard has been typecast over the years as a balladeer of love songs, Fate Rumbled shows off this veteran songsmith’s diverse musical palette, sharp lyrical edge as well as his studio chops at the controls. This time he’s playing all the instruments, singing all the vocals, producing and recording.