Sometimes all you need is a fresh start.
We’d been missing Randy Houser, who’s been quiet on the scene for a bit, but quiet for the country star isn’t doing nothing. It’s taking a step back and re-evaluating, and then working away with a fresh pair of eyes and ears.
Which is exactly what Houser did in his downtime between his last album, 2016’s Fired Up, and his new one, the forthcoming project titled Magnolia, a nod to the singer’s home state of Mississippi.
It’s a new era for Houser, with a focus on creating. He wasn’t very passionate about where he was musically, but with the help of his dear friend and co-producer Keith Gattis, he was able to move in a direction that felt more authentic.
“This album was a total reset for me in every way possible,” Houser said in a statement. “With the last album, I just didn’t have time to create, and it was obvious that it didn’t all come from my guts. Because of that, the music just didn’t feel as genuine.”
The two hunkered down in Gattis’ East Nashville studio to write, work on guitar technique (Houser played lead guitar on many of the songs,) and hone in on a sound.
“When writing for this new project, I knew the production had to lean on songs and melodies, not a bunch of tricks and loops,” Houser said. “That was the catalyst for the album. So, for the past two years, we’ve been focused on trying to find a unique sound and trying to best serve the songs.”
Boasting twelve tracks including co-writes with Dallas Davidson, Travis Meadows, Hillary Lindsey, The Cadillac Three’s Jaren Johnston and Brother’s Osborne’s John Osborne, the record ushers in a rootsy and raw homegrown sound that is not slick and polished, but real and 100 percent Randy.
Osborne’s wife Lucie Silvas even appears on a track, titled, “Our Hearts.”Magnolia is now available for pre-order and will officially release Nov. 2. It will feature Houser’s current single “No Stone Unturned.” The Magnolia Tour will kick off Oct. 12 in California and for now, will end mid-December with dates in Australia. Select tickets go on sale Aug. 29.
We’ve never been happier to write the words, “Welcome back, Randy.”
By: Samantha Stephens on cmt.com