I had never heard of Charley Crockett before catching his live set at Hinterland 2024. At the time I was like “Ok here we go….standard country act, maybe I’ll go sit down and chill out.” I was wrong about both chilling out and Charley Crockett. It wasn’t standard, it was the real deal. Crockett was going on about being a $10 dollar cowboy (I didn’t know that was the name of his new album at the time) and was backing it up with some serious vocal prowess. He also had a stage presence that was captivating and elevated the music. I’m not a huge country guy, so coming from me that’s high praise.
After the festival I deep dived into Crockett’s catalogue. $10 Dollar Cowboy is one of the better offerings I’ve heard from a country act in a long time. The only thing that’s comparable is the work of Orville Peck. Personally, I find a lot of contemporary, popular country artists to be bland and all too similar. Crockett sets himself apart by how real he is. You can tell his influences come from Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard, and that’s a good thing. Crockett reminds listeners that country used to have an edge — it used to be outlaw, and not in a cheesy way. (Fun fact: Johnny Cash literally played to convicted murderers at Folsom Prison, it doesn’t get much more outlaw than that.)
Crockett’s latest album, Lonesome Drifter, is right up there with his best offerings — maybe even his strongest to date. The songwriting, in my opinion, has surpassed $10 Dollar Cowboy and Welcome To Hard Times. It wouldn’t be surprising if it's this album that breaks him out as country’s next big thing, and the genre would be all the better for it.
The title track is an easy standout, and takes you on a dirt road journey with a questionable lead character who could very well be a wanted man. If you don’t know Charley Crockett, this song plays as the ultimate introduction, with no frills and no fancy overproduction, just good songwriting.
Crockett is a storyteller, and an excellent one at that. There’s no drinking Bud Light and going fishing with your dog in his songs. These are stories of heartbreak, lost love, staying true and never selling out. Track two, “Game I Can’t Win,” spins a tale of being stuck and beaten down by the system of life and those that “love it when you can’t win." That’s a rebel’s attitude, but strikes a poignant nerve in this moment.
Track five, “Under Neon Lights,” seemingly tells a story of a man wasting his life away on gambling. The song has a ripping organ solo as well, just for good measure. “This Crazy Life” (track six) is a melancholy number with a beautiful orchestral arrangement, and finds Crockett trying to “make sense of this crazy life.” The tune reminded me a country-tinged Frank Sinatra. Album closer “Amarillo By Morning” transported me straight to Texas, and included some Spanish-fueled trumpets. You really feel like you’re on the journey that Crockett is singing about, losing his wife and girlfriend along the way and having his saddle taken in Houston.
Crockett is the real deal, and in a world flooded with questionable quality in all types of art, it’s refreshing to hear someone bring back the idealism of artists like Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. That free roaming, live anywhere, 'doing okay as long as I’m making music,' don’t mess with me attitude is 100% welcome. Can’t wait to hear what’s next.
