The album's laidback, countrypolitan vibe—captured in part in Rouse's studio in Valencia and in part in his former American home base of Nashville with producer Brad Jones—continues on "Too Many Things On My Mind," which was inspired by economist E.F. Schumacher's book 'Small Is Beautiful.'

That sense of humor sustains Rouse as he faces down some of life's biggest questions on this record with grace and humility. "Am I a hunter or a fox?" he sings on "Pheasant Feather." 'The Embers Of Time' suggests that Rouse has discovered he may never know the answer, and that's just fine.