With a solid, midstream country sound and a collection of really awesome players, Aaron Watson releases his eighth studio album, an offering that's bound to delight his current fans and maybe bring him a bunch of new ones. He's helping helm the production, as well, along with the great Sam Seifert and Ray Benson (Asleep at the Wheel). This Texan knows how to make some plain ol' country music.
Of the fifteen songs on the disc, Watson wrote eleven of them (some with some excellent co-writers, such as Billy Yates and Jerry Reed); all of his choices of tunes are strong, from the opener, "Tulsa," all the way through to the fun-loving "That's What I Like About A Country Song," where he's joined by Jack Ingram, Kevin Fowler, Roger Creager, and of course, Ray Benson. In-between are fast songs like "Wake Up And Smell the Coffee" and tear-jerkers like "Barbed-Wire Halo," but mostly, what we have here is a lot of sweet love songs, happy and sad both, from "Heart of Life" to the humorous "Breaker Breaker One Nine" (yes, it IS a love song, honest), where you can hear the Jerry Reed influence.
Overall, Watson gives out with a good, strong, solid performance that should garner him many more fans. He's done really well on his own as an independent, and is powerful proof that, these days, a savvy performer doesn't need a record company backing him, and even if radio won't play him, he can make a pretty good living out there. Keep making the good music, and the fame will follow.
Release Date: April 1, 2008 - Label: Big Label Records (Independent)
Track List:
- Tulsa
- Whiskey On The Fire
- Wake Up And Smell The Coffee
- Heart Of Life
- Love Makin' Song
- Breaker Breaker One Nine
- Can't Be A Cowboy Forever
- Rollercoaster Ride
- Hearts Are Breaking Across Texas
- Angels And Outlaws
- Sweet Contradiction
- Dancin' Shoes
- Phillipians
- Barbed Wire Halo
- That's What I Like About A Country Song
