No matter what Jonathan Edwards said he wanted, or whether he feels like dancing, "Sunshine" is decidedly NOT going to go away — today or any other day.

The incredibly infectious tune became a huge hit in 1971 for the folk-country singer-songwriter and, even now, Edwards ends the first of his two-set live shows with "Sunshine."

"I've never gotten tired of singing that song," Edwards says, talking by phone earlier this week before an appearance Sunday at the Jonathan Edwards Winery in North Stonington — and, no, there's no relation between the vintner and the musician. "'Sunshine' meant so much to so many people, and even today folks say it helped them through Vietnam or bad times or even helped them celebrate good times. I love the way it buoys me up and the way it buoys listeners up when I play it."

Not many listeners knew it at the time, but "Sunshine" is actually a protest song about the Vietnam War and the domestic turbulence going on in the U.S. at that time. Edwards laughs and remembers, "It was an angry little song and I wonder if a lot of the radio DJs who played it would have done so if they'd known what it was really about."

In conversation, Edwards is cheerful and kind — and the tangent about a 45-year-old song is as pleasantly discussed as "Tomorrow's Child," his superb new album. A thematically connected work about family and resolutions, the recording was overseen with empathetic sorcery by the brilliant Nashville songwriter/producer Darrell Scott. The two have known each other for years, but it hadn't occurred to Edwards to ask Scott to produce an album.

"One of the pleasure of having a manager like (longtime Nashville insider) Mike Robertson is that he urges you to go in new directions that maybe you don't think about going," Edwards says. "For this new album, Mike said, 'Hey, maybe it's time to cash in on some friends you've had for decades. Make some calls.' And, boy, am I glad I did."

Playing and singing on the album are old and new musical friends including Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Shawn Colvin and a core band with multi-instrumentalist Scott, drummer Kenny Malone, bassist Brynn Davies and fiddle/banjo virtuoso Dirk Powell. The performances are consistently engaged and excellent, and it helps that "Tomorrow's Child" presents some of the finest Edwards songs in years, as well as powerful interpretations of carefully selected material that fit the record's developing vibe.

"It ended up like a concept album, but it didn't start that way at all," Edwards says. "I brought my own emotional component to the party and, after hearing my songs, Darrell selected a few outside tunes that fit the mood. And they all loosely congealed, and it became an album about family and how even more important family becomes with time."

Some of the strongest tunes on the album are ballads: Edwards contributed "The Girl From the Canyon"; a song about his daughter called "Gracie"; and one he co-wrote with Jon Vezner, "Jonny's Come Home." They fit beautifully with a tender version of Marcus Hummon's "Tomorrow's Child" featuring lovely harmony vocals from Alison Krauss.

If the minor-key melancholy wasn't exactly intentional, Edwards says it makes sense from his perspective at this point in his life.

"There comes a time when you notice you have a lot more 'past' to think about than 'future.' It's a sobering realization, but it's not without a kind of comfort, too. I think I needed to do these songs as a kind of therapy." He laughs. "But you should know I'm already writing the next batch of songs, and they're a lot more rocking. It's like I got this out of my system."

And despite the meditative quality to the album, Edwards says it was great fun to make. The basic tracks were recorded live in three days at Southern Ground Studios in Nashville, and Edwards doesn't remember any of them taking more than two takes. 

"We just all sat around in a big room with a mic and a lot of great sounding acoustic instruments and let the tape roll," Edwards says. "Darrell has a saying, and it sort of became the operating credo for the whole project. He says, 'Let that pony run,' and we did. You know, recording an album can be a lot of work, and it can be stressful. Maybe under different stewardship, I'd have been having anxiety attacks, but with these musicians and Darrell at the helm, it was just a totally great experience. We let the pony run."

Jonathan Edwards, 6 p.m. Sunday, Jonathan Edwards Winery, 74 Chester Road, North Stonington; $44; (860) 535-0202.