Ernest Troost is an Emmy-winning and multiply Emmy-nominated composer of more than one hundred scores for films and television. His new album of songs, “All the Boats Are Gonna Rise,” is a departure from his more well-known work, but also a return to his musical roots.

“I had been writing a lot of instrumental music over the past few years in many different styles,” says Troost, “everything from big band jazz to classical pieces for full orchestra. That is great fun, but I wanted to get back to some of the simpler music that first fired me up. I started out playing guitar and performing folk and blues tunes with a band in New England, and I really wanted to return to writing in that style again. Before I knew it, I had collected enough material for an album—and here it is.”

“Stories are what fascinate me,” says Troost, when asked what inspires his songwriting. “I sometimes think of myself more as a filmmaker than a songwriter—maybe it’s because of all the films I’ve worked on, but also because I love to weave words and music together and create cinematic images in the mind of the listener.”

By mixing the traditional country blues and ragtime influences of Blind Blake, Tampa Red and Mississippi Fred McDowell with the literate lyrics of contemporary songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson, and John Hiatt, Troost has created an album that captures a colorful world long past of levees, dam builders, morally ambiguous characters, and disillusioned patriots. Moreover, he imbues them with a dark playfulness and relevance for today.

“It’s the dark characters that interest me,” says Troost about his songs. “If you can get into some of these characters’ heads and tell the story from their points of view, it might get a bit creepy, but it can be very dramatic, and hopefully, entertaining.”

The theatrical nature of Troost’s songs is informed by his many successes as a film and television composer. His television music includes the Emmy-winning score for Hallmark Hall of Fame’s Canterville Ghost, the Emmy-nominated scores for Calm at Sunset, Beyond the Prairie, Martin and Lewis and 2004’s Fallen Angel. He also wrote the score for the critically acclaimed HBO film A Lesson Before Dying, Emmy winner for Best Picture.

His feature film scores include Home Front, winner of Best Feature Film at the San Diego Film Festival, starring Julian Sands and Tatum O’Neal; Beat, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, starring Courtney Love and Kiefer Sutherland; the MGM historical epic One Man’s Hero, starring Tom Berenger; and the much-loved cult classic Tremors, starring Kevin Bacon. He has scored numerous award-winning children’s films, including the Oscar-nominated animated short Dr. DeSoto, and he also composed, arranged, and produced two critically praised albums of songs for Judy Collins.

Troost was recently a featured performer on the Los Angeles acoustic music cable television show “Sounds Good,” and he is currently performing his original songs around southern California.