Randy Houser, "They Call Me Cadillac" (Show Dog-Universal Music)
Randy Houser has produced one of the more surprising country music albums of a very busy fall release period.
There are a few Southern anthems on Houser's second album, but for the most part "They Call Me Cadillac" is a thoughtful record that doesn't flinch away from deep emotion.
From upbeat rocker "Lowdown And Lonesome" to the melancholy "Addicted" (with a guest appearance by Lee Ann Womack) to a midlife meditation on love "Will I Always Be This Way," Houser offers a textured look at something more than where the next cold one is coming from.
Houser wrote or co-wrote all 11 tracks on "Cadillac" and said he was aiming for something different than his debut release, "Anything Goes."
He scores, for the most part. There are no clinkers here, just solid songwriting punctuated with an interesting take on the music.
Opener "Lowdown And Lonesome" has a southern rock veneer punctuated by a blues harmonica. It's as much woman-done-me-wrong blues as defined by Charlie Patton as it is a country song.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the album-closing "Lead Me Home," a simple song about death that features just Houser's voice and an acoustic guitar.
At just about every spot between the two, Houser's doing something interesting.
CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: "Somewhere South Of Memphis" is a tribute to Mississippi, Houser's home state and a place that has so deeply informed his music. The first few lines are a poignant tribute to his father before the song builds into a real vocal workout that's laced with John Henry Trinko's psychedelic keyboard and Keith Gattis' grimey electric guitar.
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