Charley Crockett $10 Cowboy (CD)

(Son Of Davy) 12 tracks, digisleeve

On his 2024 album “The Man From Waco”, his twelfth in seven years, Crockett conjures up a gritty Western mythology centered around an outlaw on the run, wrapped in his signature “Gulf & Western” sound.

For “$10 Cowboy,” Crockett wrote freely over a two-month period while meandering across the United States in the back of a tour bus. The resulting songs - raw, personal, vivid portraits of a country in transition - were ultimately connected. “$10 Cowboy” was recorded at Arlyn Studios in Austin, TX, produced by Crockett and his longtime collaborator Billy Horton. It was recorded live to tape, with 6-12 musicians per track, giving the songs the feel of a live performance.

It's a sound Crockett has been striving for for years. Already an accomplished songwriter, Charley continues to evolve, grow and deepen. A lifelong student of Bob Dylan, he's exploring a style that Dylan favored in “$10 Cowboy”: songs with no lyrical hook, just a twist on the phrase. No, Crockett didn't set out to write a thematic record. Or to find America with his studied eye. But with “$10 Cowboy,” he may have accomplished both.