A 15-Song Journey Through the Stories, Wildlife and Spirit of the River of Grass
REVIEW & FEATURE
HIALEAH, FL — 2026 — South Florida singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer Ricky Valido releases Dear Everglades, a 15-song collection of country, folk, blues and Americana songs inspired by the landscapes, wildlife, waterways, history, legends and natural sounds of the Florida Everglades and Big Cypress.
Written over several years of spending time in the Everglades and throughout South Florida, Dear Everglades grew from Valido’s observations of the natural world around him. The songs were written from the perspective of someone who lives alongside this environment and has spent years watching its wildlife, traveling its roads and waterways, and becoming increasingly aware of how much of South Florida’s identity is connected to this vast wetland.
Rather than approaching the Everglades as a subject to simply document, Valido uses the traditions of country music and American storytelling to create characters, legends and songs that give the landscape a voice of its own.
“I wanted to make a record that felt like a letter,” Valido says. “The Everglades has been around us my entire lives here in South Florida, but the more time I spent out there, the more I realized how much there was to hear and see. The animals, the water, the wind, the cypress, the sawgrass, the stories people tell about the place — all of it started becoming part of the music.”
The album opens with “Dear Everglades (The Letter),” a spoken-word poem that serves as the doorway into the record. It introduces the Everglades not simply as a geographical location, but as a living landscape with its own memory, character and stories.
The song “Dear Everglades” follows as the album’s central love letter to the region. It establishes the themes that continue throughout the record: the beauty of the natural world, the animals that inhabit it, the people whose lives are connected to it, and the importance of paying attention to what is around us before it disappears from our everyday lives.
- Dear Everglades (The Letter)
- Dear Everglades
- Alligator Alley
- Ravens and the Wind
- Haapahneh
- Panther
- Man of the Everglades
- Melaleuca Trees
- Black Wolf and Coyote
- Skunk Ape Blues
- The Otter and Snake Road
- Everglades Cowboy
- River of Grass
- Big Cypress
- Sawgrass Cries
“Alligator Alley” captures the experience of traveling through one of South Florida’s most recognizable corridors, while “Ravens and the Wind” moves into darker territory, exploring the feeling of being alone in the wilderness and the uncertainty that comes with stepping outside the familiar world.
“Haapahneh” represents a particularly personal moment on the album. It is Valido’s first official recording featuring him playing a Native American-style flute, with the piece inspired by the sounds and atmosphere of the Florida Everglades. The instrument becomes another way of translating the environment into music rather than simply describing it with words.
PATRICK NELLIS — ALBUM REVIEW
Ricky Valido’s new record shows an artist in development, entering a more mature stage of songwriting. I see a lot of growth in these songs (I loved his first record too). Ricky shows a mastery of the genre across these various tunes. I appreciate the use of myth and legend to tell the story of the Everglades and provide a sense of urgency to defend this unique place.
The spoken word poem that opens the record is great. It’s a bold step, I like it. The last record I can recall that did this was Jerry Jeff’s double record A Man Must Carry On that featured 3 spoken poems by two poets. In the 1970’s that was kind of odd but definitely accepted and added a unique touch to the project. The song that follows, “Dear Everglades,” sets up the rest of the album by identifying the key themes. It puts me in mind of John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High,” which was both a love song to a specific place and nature in general.
“Alligator Alley” is a cool tune. It kind of breezes along and is reminiscent of Marty Robbins, to my ear at least.
“Ravens and the Wind” is deeper and darker and explores the anxiety of being out in the wild. I love the advice from the Medicine Man in that tune. There’s a great poem by David Wagoner, “Lost,” about a young man on his trip into the wilderness, the tribal leader tells him “Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here, and you must treat it as a powerful stranger.” This song reminds me of that feeling.
“Panther” is great. It’s a swinging tune for sure. It is a surreal dreamscape that also uses familiar country story tropes. The Panther is like one of Borges’ “Dreamtigers.” If you don’t know Jorge Luis Borges, you should look him up. It is a very good song.
ABOUT RICKY VALIDO
Ricky Valido is a singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer from Hialeah, Florida. His music draws from traditional country, Americana, folk and blues while reflecting the people, landscapes and stories of South Florida.
His music is rooted in storytelling and a lifelong connection to the place he calls home. With Dear Everglades, Valido turns his attention toward one of the most distinctive natural environments in the United States, creating a collection of songs about the wildlife, waterways, legends and people connected to the Everglades and Big Cypress.
Dear Everglades is Valido’s second full-length studio album.
MEDIA CONTACT
Ricky Valido
Valido Records
contact@rickyvaldo.com
RickyValido.com
ValidoRecords.com
Album: Dear Everglades
Release Date: September 25, 2026
“Snake Road” winds deep into the heart of the territory, where the physical boundary between land and water blurs into memory. This acoustic movement captures the sudden stillness of the cypress domes at dusk, suspended in a quiet tension.
“Everglades Cowboy” pays homage to the legendary gladesmen who carved out a rugged, solitary existence among the endless sawgrass. The driving, earthy rhythm echoes the persistent hum of an airboat motor cutting through the heavy, humid air.
At the center of the album is “River of Grass,” an expansive, ambient tapestry that mirrors the slow, majestic flow of the southern marshes. It is a space where time stretches, allowing the natural symphony of frogs, wind, and wading birds to take the lead.
The Soundscapes of Dear Everglades
“Big Cypress” opens the journey with its ambient, echoing string arrangements, mapping the vast and ancient cypress domes of the Florida interior.
“Sawgrass Cries” acts as the emotional center of the record, capturing the fragile, whispering wind through the marshlands with delicate acoustic compositions and field recordings.
Taken as a whole, Dear Everglades is an evocative masterclass in ecological storytelling, translating the unique textures of the river of grass into a rich, living sonic landscape.
What makes the album particularly compelling is its seamless integration of organic acoustic instrumentation with deep, atmospheric synthesizers, mirroring the intersection of preservation and modern reflection.
RESONANCE IN THE SAWGRASS
An Appreciation of Ricky Valido’s Americana Masterpiece
Deep in the heart of the Florida swamplands, where the air hangs heavy with humidity and the sawgrass stretches infinitely toward a moody sky, artist Ricky Valido has captured something rare and essential. His music does not simply reference his roots; it is grown directly from the dark, rich soil of the glades.
Dear Everglades has the potential to reach a broad audience of listeners who crave genuine substance in their music. It successfully bridges the gap between classic, traditional storytelling and the atmospheric, untamed beauty of contemporary folk and Americana.