Flatland Cavalry: Welcome to Countryland

Flatland Cavalry: Welcome to Countryland

David Overstreet

Many bands & artists spent 2020 wondering if they were going to survive and what they were going to do next. That was not Flatland Cavalry. It appears that they spent 2020 getting more comfortable in their own skin and more confident in who they were as individuals, as artists, and as a band. And nowhere is this more apparent than in their new album, “Welcome to Countryland." This album not only has them doubling (some might even say tripling) down on the sound that has made them a leader not only in Texas country, but in the more traditional country music stylings as well. But in that vein of confidence, they have stepped out of their comfort zone to write and record songs that depart from their very recognizable style. And this new confidence looks good on them.


Sethaferg: Starless

Sethaferg: Starless

Phillip Ring

Seth Ferguson, the Appalachian Justin Timerblake, one half of the Keekers and Ferg #1 Podcast Show, future hillbilly pop star? Anyone following the pre-release of Starless has been witness to what I would consider to be one of the most entertaining, confusing build ups in music history. For those who haven’t, it's a tale of a man who has struggled with marketing an album through traditional means. There are a lot of people that will hear the new album with some measure of confusion; it’s an album that is only possible through an Appalachian voice, but isn’t what one would consider regionally typical. There isn’t a banjo anywhere on the album, but there’s a lot of drum machine, disco pop, and hip hop influences.

Train to Birmingham: May 2021

Train to Birmingham: May 2021

Derek Scudder

Blackberry Smoke frontman Charlie Starr recalls the first time his band played at the Shed in Maryville, Tennessee. He says he doesn’t remember the year but they were asked to open for Cross Canadian Ragweed. Blackberry Smoke returned to the Shed this month for two consecutive weekends of headlining shows at the legendary smokehouse & jukejoint in the beautiful hills of east Tennessee. Starr says he had just spent some time with Cody Canada in Key West at the Mile 0 Festival and had told him, “you’re partly to blame for all of this,” meaning the help Cody had given not only Blackberry Smoke but so many of the other artists at that festival was the reason for the popularity of the music.

The opportunity that live music presents for learning about new music is unmatched. I enjoy getting to the show early to catch the opening act. Sometimes, it’s a brand new artist trying to find the best way to present their songs; it could be a band with years of experience but still no big breakthrough. There are so many other stories for musicians still paying the dues of the road, and I have already seen some opening bands this year that have caught my attention.

RC Edwards has stayed busy since the Turnpike Troubadours hiatus began nearly two years ago. His side project, RC & the Ambers, has been active with gigs around their home base of Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Last year, the band went into the studio and recorded the Big Country record which is set for release later this year. I recently caught RC & the Ambers opening two shows for Cody Canada & the Departed . I had also seen them last fall in Tahlequah and the band has gotten even tighter over the past few months. Edwards has hung up his bass for an acoustic guitar and handles lead vocals; Amber Watson is featured vocalist. The band features a mandolin, upright bass and another guitar. They played a few songs from the new album and featured a few of the Edwards-penned tunes from the Turnpike catalog (so good to hear “Wrecked” and “Kansas City Southern” again). The new duet arrangement of “Fall Out of Love” spotlights Amber and fans would like to hear more from her than just one solo per show.

I have been a Black Lillies fan since the release of “Whiskey Angel” in 2009, and got to see several early shows with the band performing at a high level especially one night when they opened for the Turnpike Troubadours in Birmingham. The Hard to Please record had just come out featuring the sassy title track and “40 Days” which features Cruz Contreras rocking the electric piano. I had a nice conversation with him at the break and he was so excited about the future of the band and later went back onstage for an encore with Evan Felker. Not long after, their equipment trailer was stolen from a hotel parking lot in Houston. They lost equipment, merchandise, and some irreplaceable instruments. Some band members quit as well, causing Contreras to change the sound of the band which was now without a female voice. A “farewell for now” post on the band’s website marked a pause in Black Lillies activities while Cruz works on a solo career. He opened a show for Blackberry Smoke at the Shed near his Knoxville, Tennessee home and was accompanied on vocals by his wife, Molly. They opened with the Black Lillies classics “Two Hearts Down” and “Smokestack Lady” and later included the soaring “Whiskey Angel” duet as well as the earlier-mentioned piano-rollicking “40 Days.” I was right down in front for the Contreras set and was surprised (and a good bit disappointed) at how many Blackberry Smoke fans had never heard of the Black Lillies, even those who lived in the area! Cruz Contreras has been performing acoustic shows and has a solo project ready with a release hopefully later this year.

Two nights in Inman, Kansas introduced me to openers Jay Statham & The Tokie Show, and Kyle Killgore. Statham claims that “Tokie” represents the mixture of Texans and Okies in the band. He’s got a fire burning when he’s on stage and a driving, guitar-led sound. “Pieces” and “She Ain’t Looking for Love” both rocked the set. I’m going to keep an eye out for him. Wichita’s Kyle Killgore has a confident look and a clean Heartland country/rock sound. “Livin’ On the Run” gets a good workout in the live set and I love the Chris Knight shout out in the lyric!

Hayden Haddock is giving this music thing a big push with his new Red Dirt Texas record which has several solid tracks including one of my new favorite party songs “Whiskey Did You Miss Me.” Haddock has a genuine Texas drawl, a traditional look, and professional marketing that could help him break through. Jason Lerma of Aaron Watson’s band brought his distinctive guitar talents to Haddock’s band when I saw him at the Majestic in Fort Smith, Arkansas; he also sat in with Jason Boland’s band later that night.

I first remember seeing Waves open for Cody Canada & the Departed in 2019 at Gruene Hall. The band is comprised of teenagers from the School of Rock in New Braunfels, Texas which is operated by Shannon Canada and her husband, Cody. Their son, Dierks, plays guitar for the group but this is not “his” band. Elysha LeMaster handles lead vocals with the presence of the seasoned performer that she is; I’ve also seen her and the band open at the Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa and the famous Mule Barn in Justin, Texas. Guitarist Peyton Glasco recently joined the Departed on a weekend run that began at Knucklehead’s in Kansas City. He handled merchandise sales and would join Cody Canada and the band on stage later in the show. What an education! Drummer Ben Mitchell is the machine that drives the band and this band rocks. Luke Wilson lays down a solid bass and adds backing vocals. Each time I see Waves, they have improved as a band and are learning what it takes to succeed as touring musicians.

While Blackberry Smoke was hosting the second weekend of the Brothers and Sisters Reunion, where was Cody Canada? He was spending that week in May on the road opening a five-show run for Dierks Bentley and his sold-out dive bar tour. Remember the days when Dierks would open shows for Ragweed? Get to the show early. You never know who you might see.


The Steel Woods: All of Your Stones

The Steel Woods: All of Your Stones

Derek Scudder

“I don’t think people fully understand so I’m just gonna say it right off the bat. Jason “Rowdy” Cope was and has always been The Steel Woods.” That’s how fellow musician Brent Cobb described the importance of the band’s co-founder, co-songwriter, and guitarist in an extensive Facebook post. Cope passed away in his sleep earlier this year on January 16th at age 42. He lived with both physical and mental agony before being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in late 2018, and, in recent years, overcame the twin demons of alcohol and PTSD. After his diagnoses, Jason had done all the right things to get his life back on track and was clean, sober and in good mental health according to his family, and proven by his clear toxicology report.

One to Watch: Dave Shoemaker “Foreverything”

One to Watch: Dave Shoemaker “Foreverything”

Ryan Bush

Love is an art all its own. It breathes life into the soul and can make the heart feel more than ever thought possible. It’s the ups and downs. The good and bad. Growth and loss. Sharing each breath next to the one who is your living muse. Southeastern Kentucky’s Dave Shoemaker has managed to capture all of this emotion with his newest single, “Foreverything” - a poetic testament that paints the reality of pure love and all of its power.

A flourishing songwriter with deep lyrical prowess, Shoemaker cut his teeth on an eclectic line of musical genres, all of which have impacted his sound, along with a voice that is jaggedly soft, rising and falling with each word and verse.

“I grew up listening to classic rock radio and back porch pickin’ at my grandparents'. In middle school/high school, I fell in love with the Seattle sound and really came to love Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, and I still do love and listen to those bands. I'm a lover of music and I feel like I draw a lot of inspiration from music of all spectrums, whether it be Ralph Stanley to Neurosis or Guy Clark to The Drive By Truckers. I'm all over the place with my musical taste,” Shoemaker shared.

Interview with Van Plating

Interview with Van Plating

Melissa Payne

You’ve got quite a colorful sonic history, with a background spanning classical music, bluegrass, and indie rock. Could you name one thing you’ve learned from each of those genres that you’ve put to use in your current career as a solo artist?

From classical music I learned discipline. Intense, mind over matter, ninja level discipline. You can’t learn to be a good violin player without hours and hours of focused practice in the studio. It takes years of study before you even sound decent, and a mastery of the instrument takes an honest lifetime of study. I used to practice 3 hours per day plus rehearsals and lessons, as a minimum maintenance routine. In college, I’d be so exhausted from a full course load plus studio hours that I’d fall asleep in the practice rooms and the security guards would wake me and kick me out.

I’ve worked through sickness and physical pain. That toughness was bred into me by the violin. The discipline it took from me for 20+ years, all the way through college, gave me the focused determination it takes to be ok with writing songs by myself for hours and working on my own as a solo artist. Once I'm in the zone I don’t break focus.

Bluegrass music was the heart of my granddad Given’s family. He was my mothers’ father and my favorite person in the world. He had a bunch of brothers (8 I think?) and they would play barn dances all over Alabama when he was in his youth. They were a poor sharecropper family that moved around a lot. They relocated to Florida to pick fruit after the Great depression and brought music with them. These men were wizened and gray by the time I came along, but the family kept a weekend tradition of playing bluegrass music in the round out in my grandparents front yard in Eustis on many a weekend day. From the time I was small they’d shove me to the middle with my tiny violin and eventually I got the hang of following chord progressions by ear and I’d play along. By the time I was grown I could hang pretty well, although I don’t think I’ll ever be as fast a guitar picker as any of those guys were. So improvisation is a skill I learned from them that I use all the time.

The Shootouts: Bullseye

The Shootouts: Bullseye

David Overstreet

It had been a long time since I just had fun listening to an album, but the Shootout’s latest album, Bullseye, was just that; 13 new tracks of pure fun! I truly enjoyed this album because of their unique sound, which I like to refer to as being vintage western swing brought into the 21st century, yet still being very true to those roots.

For a sophomore album, what impressed me the most is that they remained true to their sound. Many groups, when achieving success on their first release, feel that they must do something over the top to beat their previous achievement. When those groups do this, they seem to lose something in their sound and in their souls. The Shootouts remained true to themselves and their sound, which their fans greatly appreciate.


Ritch Henderson: "Lithium"

Ritch Henderson: "Lithium"

Melissa Payne

A self-described Appalachian storyteller, Ritch Henderson’s sound is best described as eclectic, taking cues from southern rock, country, and even folk. Even the artists that Ritch lists as influences, like Janis Joplin to the Turnpike Troubadours and Drive By Truckers, reflect the different aspects of his sound. A Marine veteran, one might be surprised to find Ritch now touring his way around the country, slinging songs as comfortably he is, but Ritch is no stranger to his music. With family influences growing up, it seems his road hasn’t been easy, but he draws from his own life struggles and triumphs for his forthcoming album, Fallacies and Four Letter Words, which will be out later this year. The new single, “Lithium,” which will be featured on the album, is out today.

Chris Blevins: Grief, Love and Other Gifts

Chris Blevins: Grief, Love and Other Gifts

Derek Scudder

I interviewed Chris Blevins in late 2019 about the exciting plans he had for the upcoming year, including three record releases and a new baby. His son was born last May but the records never came out because 2020 turned the other plans sideways. 2021 is finally offering a reset to the year that was put on hold.

The duet project that Chris had called Grief back then is now titled Grief, Love and Other Gifts, and is being released on Tulsa’s Horton Records. “This started out as a very single-minded project and quickly became something else entirely,” Blevins explains. "We changed the title because albums, when they have a specific intention, I think they’re a bit amorphous in what the expectation of the creator is and as we added songs and subtracted some songs that were maybe not as strong it just became a different thing and it no longer fit that paradigm and we shifted more and I changed the title as a result of that.” He added, “The tone of some of the songs initially was grief and very much centered around the prospect of grief and how we process that and now it’s more in line with just human experience and the different facets of that and how we process those.”


Train to Birmingham

Train to Birmingham

Derek Scudder

Felt great to get out on the road for some live music and music family reunions. Saw lots of friends on social media doing the same, as well as artists excited about getting back in front of “real flesh and bone,” as Cody Canada put it so well.

Things began to re-emerge in March as we marked the one year anniversary of the closing of America, and I took full advantage of the opportunity for a couple road trips to America’s Heartland. First, two shows with Jason Boland & the Stragglers in Inman, Kansas, and Fort Smith, Arkansas, then three shows with Cody Canada & the Departed at the legendary Knucklehead’s in Kansas City, then back to Inman and Ft. Smith


John Goolsby: Shine On Premiere

John Goolsby: Shine On Premiere

Jolene Horihan

Since his 2016 debut album, The Midwest, John Goolsby has taken the last few years putting together songs for his next full-length release. Today, we are happy to premiere the first single, “Shine On,” from that upcoming release. Written in July of 2020, during the bleakest of recent times, not the least of which were a world-wide pandemic, political division and race riots. But, John and his co-writer and producer, Dave Pahanish, saw past all of that and delivered a relatable message of optimism.

Hailing from the heart of the blue-collar Midwestern town of St. Joseph, Missouri, John Goolsby knows first-hand the struggles that folks can face: factory closures, the shuttering of main street store-fronts, stock market slumps and extreme weather events blighting the farming industry. Goolsby put those lessons into action last year during the entertainment industry shut-down and thrived with very little to make ends meet. He talked about how freeing it felt and how happy he was to fully appreciate the things that truly mattered – none of which are material. That is the Midwestern spirit which is still deeply rooted in this Nashville resident. For Goolsby and his team, the positive and upbeat love song, “Shine On,” felt like the best way to start fresh in 2021 while introducing the sophomore album.

Rob Leines: Blood, Sweat and Beers

Rob Leines: Blood, Sweat and Beers

Jolene Horihan

Rob Leines is no stranger to the blue-collar way of life. Before becoming a full-time touring musician who spends over 200-nights a year on stage, he was a welder in the oil and gas industries along the Pacific Coast, eventually traveling the world repairing components of turbine engines at power plants. So, the roll-up-your-sleeves and get-your-hands-dirty work ethic and long days are something Rob knows all too well. His in-your-face lyrics are the product of perseverance and dedication to the pride of a hard-earned paycheck. His Blood, Sweat and Beers follow-up to Bad Seed is still that hard-driving blend of country and rock and roll his fans are used to, with a little swampier, greasier goodness, tighter playing and stronger vocal delivery.

Melissa Carper: Daddy's Country Gold

Melissa Carper: Daddy's Country Gold

Mandy Mitchell

If there ever was an album born to be sentimentally spun on warm, black vinyl, Melissa Carper’s Daddy’s Country Gold is it. Ethereal vocals draped leisurely over a stand up bass line puts listeners in the mood to tenderly twirl around the kitchen with their beau as in days of old. From the first track of Makin’ Memories to the last haunted notes of The Stars Are Aligned, nostalgic notes comprised of classic country, western swing and jazz seem to waft in from the early 20th century, carried in on the shoulders of Melissa Carper, a protege of sorts of the great Jimmie Rogers and Patsy Cline. The album’s conception stems from a mixture of Carper’s own upbringing in her family’s band and years spent busking through the nation’s music hubs, forming notable musical collaborations like The Carper Family, Sad Daddy, and Buffalo Gals along the way. Carper, dubbed Daddy by bandmates in years past for always knowing how to take care of ‘bidness,’ has in this collection a true testament to what magic can happen when an artist not only has a clear inner vision, but also the wherewithal to carry it forth to fruition.


Morgan Wade: Reckless

Morgan Wade: Reckless

Stephanie Blackburn

Morgan Wade is dynamic and an artist that is rightfully on everyone’s list now, but Virginians who love music have known about the powerhouse talent coming out of our southwest corner for quite some time. It has been exciting for us to watch as she lit up stage after stage at her own shows, whether full band, or solo, and opening for the likes of Tyler Childers, Ashley McBryde and The Steel Woods. Last year, she was set to tour with artists like American Aquarium, Ian Noe and Amanda Shires, as well as figure prominently in festivals all over the country, but as things changed, she did what she had to do and shifted to on-line streaming from her home.There, she was able to sing, play her guitars and talk about her music, along with telling friendly anecdotes about many aspects of her life. In addition to rehearsing and recording, she also dedicated that time to supporting and preserving the trails she loves to run on as an ultra-runner, helping with the funding of a dog park in the town where she calls home, and sharing her experiences with sobriety and mental health. This twenty-six year old has a lot to say, and is not afraid to say it, especially if it will help someone else move forward. She has used her platform afforded to her as an artist to do just that, and I admire her greatly for it.


Senora May: All of My Love

Senora May: All of My Love

Phillip Ring

When you open a photo album at your mom’s house it’s like a portal that takes you to a place that is half dream and half memory. All of My Love operates the same way. Sometimes it’s poetic, sometimes it’s musically inspiring, sometimes it’s both, but it’s always warm and comforting. An album that wraps its arms around you and draws you in, and in the middle of what may be one of the darker times in the history of our lifetimes, it reminds you, in the end, it’s just about love. Who you love, how you love, why you love, that’s what defines us. Senora May’s writing is the kind of writing that has an airy breathiness about it that by default feels intimate. It’s a portal that transports you to a place, because every story happens somewhere. You remember what the room looks like and smells like when you recall memories that change your life. Sometimes a place is like a two way mirror, something you see yourself reflected in, but you know it’s watching you; places are alive, and no one captures that better than Senora May.

Crownover: Another Day in Our 20s

Crownover: Another Day in Our 20s

Phillip Ring

Crownover is the alter ego of one of the most diversified properties in music. Some people may know him as the magnificent and wonderful Kyle, and as you may have heard at a concert or two, people like to beg and scream to “let Kyle sing.” You may know him as “Keekers,” one half of the #1 podcast on the planet The Keekers and Ferg #1 Podcast Show, where he shares the airwaves with Seth Ferguson. You may have heard him sing at a festival, or caught a Crownover show. You may know him from his Twitter and Instagram fame, making parodies and social commentary that gets picked up by multiple media outlets. Kyle is a busy man, and on top of all of this he’s releasing a new EP, Another Day in Our 20s .


Daniel Young: The World Ain't Gonna Wait

Daniel Young: The World Ain't Gonna Wait

Derek Scudder

Search “Daniel Young” online and most of the results are NOT about the singer-songwriter, guitarist, drummer, sound engineer, and producer from Salt Lake City. You will find a handful of videos (including one from Merlefest shot on a cellphone), a couple of short local newspaper items, and his website but nothing that will prepare you for the excellent record he’s about to release.

The World Ain’t Gonna Wait is Young’s third full length album. It’s the follow up to Television Static released in March 2020 just as the music industry came to a screeching halt. The album was recorded, mixed, mastered and produced by Daniel Young at the Orchard Studio in his North Salt Lake, Utah home. Young also wrote all of the songs on the record except the opening track.

The instrumental “Muskrat Mud Shuffle” gives the record a joyous start. The track was written by Virginia’s Bobby “Muskrat” Reames and features his magnificent pedal steel skills. “Distance of Somewhere” features more pedal steel from Muskrat and a relaxed vocal from Young. Near the end of the tune, an electric guitar speaks up that gives a hint that a more intense sound is on the way. Muskrat’s pedal steel is featured for the last time on the record on “Take It or Leave It” as more of the band joins in and Young’s vocals gain strength. All of this to get to the record’s centerpiece.

Guest artists are not always featured in a way that showcases their skills. Sometimes, if it weren’t for liner notes, you wouldn’t even realize they played on a particular song. That is not the case for “The World Ain’t Gonna Wait.” Sizzling slide guitar solos from Sadler Vaden (of Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit band) and a tasty organ solo from Trevor Nealon (from the Band of Heathens) are both prominently featured. Young’s vocal is confident and the band finally comes together as the album hits its stride with this spectacular song.

After that romp, the pace of the record slows down with the acoustic “Hit the Moon” featuring more significant contributions from guest artists. The mandolin of Jay Lapp and the fiddle of Eric Brubaker (both of Virginia’s celebrated Steel Wheels band) give the track its melody and help carry Young’s effective harmonized vocals.

“Hold You Tighter” begins with a solo acoustic guitar then adds Young’s vocals and each other instrument comes in as the song continues to build while maintaining a laid-back attitude. Daniel Young’s most confident vocals may be on “If I Wait” - a quiet song featuring only an acoustic guitar, pedal steel, and understated drums. The combination of the piano of Ben Child and Young’s vocal that opens “Every Leaf That Falls” immediately calls Leon Russell to mind. More pedal steel and muted drums add depth to this quiet masterpiece.

Beloved Utah musician, Pat Campbell, played his final session for this album and his drums open the jaunty “Bring It On Down.” Young sings: “Have we been framed like a photograph / Have we been set up without even asked / Face to face, what are you gonna do / You gonna answer to us or give us your bullshit attitude?” Eric Brubaker returns to add his fiddle to the track which gives the record a strong finish. Like exit music for a show, “Yonder Yucca” is an instrumental featuring an acoustic guitar and more pedal steel which allows the album to metaphorically ride off into the sunset.

The World Ain’t Gonna Wait is best listened to on vinyl; not because of any superior audio quality but that format will force you to hear the tracks in the order in which they were programmed. There is a definite flow to the album that will be missed if listened to in shuffle mode or just randomly streamed tracks. Hopefully, Daniel Young can get out of Utah in 2021 and hit the road to allow more to enjoy his new music. I expect the internet will notice as well.



Simon Flory: Haul These Blues Away

Simon Flory: Haul These Blues Away

Melissa Payne

Do you remember the feeling of hot, summer days; the way the heat of the day gave way to a purple twilight, while you listened to cicadas in the trees and chased the occasional firefly as it twinkled in the quickly fading light? It’s a feeling I look back on with nostalgia, where things seemed simple, yet somehow comforting. This is what Simon Flory’s newest album, Haul These Blues Away, feels like. Like a memory that strikes a chord in you and so you replay it again and again, only in the form of a collection of songs that feel more like a collection of short stories. In a way this is true, as Simon pulls from his own memories for all his music, “it’s suffused with the elements of his childhood – days spent in the fields, church sings, gravel roads, and genuine mule drawn molasses.” Aside from elements from his childhood, Haul These Blues Away also draws on inspiration from events and themes that have been prevalent in the last four years, “the duress of a divided country: the racial strife, authoritarianism, anti-democratic governance, the collapse of the agriculture sector, and loss of many folks' 'way of life.' "

Nic Allen & The Troubled Minds: Half Dead

Nic Allen & The Troubled Minds: Half Dead

Phillip Ring

We all have our tendencies and taste. We have buzzwords that we use to describe music that we love, and we have buzzwords that describe music we hate. It’s just enough “this” or it’s too much “that,” One of the words we often assign to music we hate is, “pop.” We all like to believe that we live in a bubble where we are the ones with taste and as things gain traction we revolt against them. It’s hard to remember that much of the music that stays attached to us showed up on the radio as a kid, was popular, catchy, full of hooks and thick with accessibility. So when I say that Half Dead shows a strong intelligent pop sensibility, it’s not an insult. I mean it’s something that burrows, gets stuck in the part of your head where things you can’t shake out live. It’s an album that’s alive with intentional songwriting, storytelling, and exceptional musicianship.

I’ve been a fan of Nic Allen’s work for a while, and so I thought I came into Half Dead knowing what to expect, I was mistaken. Nic’s first release On The Hilltop was well crafted, and had a similar vibe to it, and it wasn’t terribly long ago. I expected an extension of that record with new songs, and I was here for it. When I put the record on, I was pleasantly surprised to find a record that was more sonically in place with songwriting and structure that felt far more mature. The record was beautifully produced, felt polished and clean, without sounding sterile.

Ross Cooper: Chasing Old Highs

Ross Cooper: Chasing Old Highs

Amy Watts

West Texas native Ross Cooper has already made a name for himself in the country music scene with his first two albums and with several of his songs cut by well established artists, including fellow West Texans William Clark Green and Wade Bowen. With Chasing Old Highs, to be released February 26, 2021, he takes it to a higher level. Don’t worry, if you are already a fan, the same charm and solid vocals you loved on Give It Time and I Rode the Wild Horses are enhanced with even more soul and music that will stay with you.


With several of the tracks, Cooper nails the perfect combination of unique and catchy, without being kitschy. Notably, is the upbeat “Hello Sunshine” that feels just like the positivity we need after a tumultuous year. He sings about pushing away the negativity. “Goodbye darkness / I’ll save you for a rainy day / So long sadness / I never liked you anyway.” I dare you not to smile when you listen to it.


In “Chasing Old Highs,” the tagline “I’m just chasing old highs and hitting new lows” could easily go trite but, instead, is a memorable line in a great country song about rodeo life and trying to let it go. “And I ain’t drawn a high lonesome lately / And every day is a day passed my prime / Do I love this to a point I’d let it kill me / And if I do, then maybe she was right.” Cooper’s experience as a former professional bareback bronc rider lends authenticity to this realm of his song writing.


“Freewheelin’ Feeling” is a windows down, blaring the music song, but if you listen a bit closer “I got this worn out journal / Words on a line / And if you want to hear them / I’d sure be obliged / Cuz maybe I ain’t nothing more than a few rhymes” expresses a vulnerability you might miss if you get caught in the melody.

“Cowboy Picture Show,” a co-write with William Clark Green, Daniel Markham and Charlie Stout, paints a picture of a small town night of days passed. It feels like a parent or grandparent telling a story and fits seamlessly in the album.


Among the more somber songs, the homesick “Flatland” gives homage to his west Texas roots, talking about it always being home, despite making the trek to Nashville. Remembering a past love, “Eleven Miles” leaves you wanting more of the story. I find Cooper’s vocal control impressive and equally strong on the happy-go-lucky and rip your heart out songs.


The line “I wake up late with nowhere / And no one to care what becomes of me” in a “Long Way from A Long Way Home” is indicative of the sad song about rodeo life. His songwriting provokes vivid imagery and is no more evident than in this one.


“South of the Angels” was released last fall as a single and the haunting and beautiful track is one I simply cannot listen to enough. “Ooh, they say nobody makes it here / Ooh, this is the American frontier / It feels like home in a hell / But we’re still down here / South of the Angels.”


I wanted to call this a solid traditional country album, because it is, with its themes of road and rodeo life and love and heartbreak, it makes my 80’s and 90’s country loving heart happy; but, I think it’s more accurate to say if you love rich vocals, memorable melodies and authentic lyrics, and a great mix of toe tappers and tear jerkers, you’ll love this album. And, if you are new to him you’ll be wondering “what took me so long to get here?”


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