Album Review: Clay Walker - “Texas To Tennessee”

Veteran hitmaker’s first album for Show Dog Records; album features the hit “Need A Bar Sometimes.”

It’s been a while since Clay Walker has released an album on a Nashville label and on Texas To Tennessee, the iconic Texan has found ten songs that suit his unique, velvety voice like a glove. Produced by Michael Knox and songwriter Jaron Boyer, the album seamlessly blends the classic sounds that made Clay Walker a superstar in the 1990s with the contemporary production sounds that allows him to blend in well with the top stars like Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw and Blake Shelton.

“Catching Up With An Ol’ Memory,” is one of the 10 tracks Clay co-wrote for Texas To Tennessee and there’s a strong steel guitar solo which backs up an emotive, vocal complete with staccato chorus. “Country Side” feels like a dusted-off country radio hit while the album’s title track feels like a classic George Strait hit, both compliments to how strong the songs are written and the emotions both evoke.

Speaking of emotions, “Need A Bar Sometimes” speaks to the fact of life that, for most people, there’s a time we ALL need a little get away and a bar is a perfect, judge-less place to go. “I Just Wanna Hold You” may seem more like a modern country hit than say the title track but that’s OK as this melodically progressive song is a country/pop highlight as is “You Look Good,” a slice of modern country production sounds blending with a classic country as cornbread lyric.

And that's exactly what makes Texas To Tennessee a delightful musical experience. The songs are some of Clay Walker's best and they touch on universal themes while bringing his classic sounds of the 1990s (and in some cases, his influences from the 1980s) into a lean, important collection of modern yet still very COUNTRY music.

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