Wednesday Word: Chuck Taylor

As Program Director of KHYI, I get sent new music all the time, but recently four albums came across my desk that really stood out to me as truly significant! The first was The Turnpike Troubadours new self titled album on Thirty Tigers. Produced by Ryan Engleman and Matt Wright, this album really captures that Turnpike sound that we’ve all come to know at their shows.  While the debut single “Down Here” is poised to take over the top spot on the Texas Music Chart any time now (it reached #3 in just 12 weeks), trust me when I tell you it’s not even the strongest song on the album! That’s how good this album is!

Next up is Squelch from Jason Boland & The Stragglers. This is their 8th album and it, in my humble opinion is probably one of their best. Squelch comes out Oct 9th and I will warn you that it has some language not suitable for sensitive ears, but that’s the Jason we all know and love, so you should be used to it!

Joe Ely‘s latest effort, Panhandle Rambler, is a modern day classic from a true Texas troubadour! Joe gives us everything we would want from a Joe Ely record: writing about life on the road, life in Texas, and just telling great stories.  Joe Ely has always been one of my favorite Texas artists, and Panhandle Rambler doesn’t disappoint!

The final album I’ll tantalize you with is Max Stalling‘s Banquet, which also comes out Oct 9th and there’s a connection to Jason Boland, but more on that later.  Max sent me the rough cuts of the songs on this album via DropBox and I was immediately elated.  Not only was I one of the first people outside his camp to hear these songs, but I really enjoyed what I was hearing!  If you’re a Max Stalling fan, you’re definitely going to want to pick this on up when it comes out.  Now for the Boland connection…the first cut on the album, Night’s Pay In My Boots, is a collaboration between Max, Jason Boland, and Mark David Manders…BUT Max and Jason never wrote it in the same room- they did it all virtually!

If you’re a true Texas music fan, you owe it to yourself to make sure you add each of these albums to your collection! You can thank me later!

ct