Rhode Island Music Hall of Famer and rock legend Mark Cutler, Cranston native, is always up to something. He’s usually playing around the area with his band the Men of Great Courage at various venues, and sometimes he plays with his original band The Schemers, who played their first live show opening for the famous soul duo Sam & Dave during the late ‘70s.

Cutler also does great work through The Same Thing Project, a community songwriting workshop that gets people from all walks of life together every Tuesday morning at 10am at The Outsider Collective within the Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket. Along with all of this, he has a steady habit of working on a new batch of songs. This is the case with his latest album “Murder of Crows”, which came out on June 9 via the Warren based label 75orLess Records.

The theme behind the songs within the full-length deals with a few different struggles Cutler experienced over the past few years pertaining to his own health, living during the COVID-19 pandemic and the passing of people he was very close with. To round it out, he brought a couple great friends into the fold while walking a fine line between the stylistic elements of folk and blues.

“‘Murder of Crows’ is a collection of songs I’ve been working on from more than a few years ago to as recently as a few months ago,” he says about the album. “I recorded the songs at my studio in East Providence and my home studio. Some songs were written and recorded during COVID, some were written after I got cancer, and some after I lost a few loved ones in my life. Besides pain, there’s also joy in the songs. I hope that shows through.”

“Lifelong friend Jimmy Berger plays bass on a few songs and longtime friend Rick Couto plays drums on most of the songs,” he adds. “It spans a period of time and I hope folks can sense the universal themes I’m trying to relay.”

Along with Berger and Couto lending their talents, music critic, radio host, author and former MTV executive Bill Flanagan did so as well. This is through him penning the lyrics for the tune “Remembering Wrong”, which has a poetic aesthetic that’s conveyed through Cutler’s vocal delivery.

“Move” echoes the blues influence that’s been part of Cutler’s musical identity ever since he started out. This trait comes through via the guitar chords and the drumbeats establishing a particular vibe. Other highlights include “A Good Day”, “Floating Man” and “Find Out Who Your Friends Are”, but it’s suggested that whoever gives “Murder of Crows” a listen initially does so from start to finish.

To celebrate the release of his new album, Cutler is going to be putting on a show on June 13 at Myrtle in East Providence at 7p.m. While you’re there, grab a physical copy of the record, but if you’re looking to check out “Murder of Crows” sooner than that, look it up on Spotify, YouTube or any other streaming service of your choice. For more information about Cutler, log onto markcutlermusic.com.