Named One of “10 New Country Artists You Need To Know” by Rolling Stone Country
On Tour Now
On March 30, the West Texas troubadour Red Shahan will release Culberson County (via Thirty Tigers), the follow up to his acclaimed debut Men & Coyotes. Today, Cowboys & Indians shared “Someone Someday,” the second single to be released from the forthcoming album.
“The catchy, melodic track takes a laid-back look at aspirations and insecurity,” said Cowboys and Indians. “With tongue-and-cheek lyrics like ‘rubbernecking all the outlaws,’ it’s also a loud commentary on the modern Texas-Americana music scene.”
Rolling Stone Country has named Shahan one of “10 New Country Artists You Need To Know” and said, “New single ‘Culberson County,’ a slow-burning ballad about heading west, may be the only song in existence to pair spacey, Pink Floyd-esque slide guitar with a truly Texas pronunciation of the word ‘coyote.'”
Recently, the Lubbock-based singer/songwriter shared the “hauntingly delicate” title track from the forthcoming album with Wide Open Country.
“At times, Culberson County is large, grandiose and anthemic. There’s the soaring race of Spaghetti Western and Southwestern textures that beam down like roaring West Texas sun,” said Wide Open Country’s Thomas Mooney. “You’re exposed to the engulfing desert with only Shahan’s vocals guiding you out of the elements. Other times, there’s a bluesy grit that pulls you in with an intimacy that’s a gentle pat on the back.”
Culberson County finds Shahan exploring the ebb and flow of the darkness and light in the world around him. The album ranges from songs like “6 Feet,” which tells the story of an incarcerated drug dealer dreading the cartel justice awaiting him on the other side, to “Someone Someday,” (a rare co-write for Shahan, penned with Brent Cobb and Aaron Raitiere), where he sings a line about “rubbernecking all the outlaws” that lands as both a laugh-out-loud commentary on the modern Texas/Americana music scene and a playfully self-aware admission of his own aspirations and insecurity. And then there’s the politically charged fist-in-the-air anthem “Revolution,” which really isn’t funny at all.
Like any self-respecting Texas singer-songwriter worthy of the title, Shahan can hold his own playing any of his songs solo acoustic, just like he writes them. But Culberson County is no one-man show. Like Men and Coyotes before it, this is very much a full-band affair, with Elijah Ford (an acclaimed solo artist in his own right) returning to the producer’s chair, Matthew “Paw Paw” Smith (formerly with Ryan Bingham) back behind the drum kit and Shahan’s old Lubbock buddy Parker Morrow on bass. Shahan himself played rhythm electric and acoustic, while special recruit Daniel Sproul was called in to handle most of the lead guitar for the sessions. Guests on the album include fellow Texas songwriters Charlie Shafter and Bonnie Bishop on background and harmony vocals, as well as Shahan’s own mother, Kim Smith, who sings on the song “Memphis.”
Shahan will perform at this year’s SXSW Festival. Watch a live performance of “Culberson County,” filmed at Willie Nelson’s Pedernales studio for Luck Reunion HERE.
Culberson County Track List:
1) Waterbill
2) Enemy
3) 6 Feet
4) Culberson County
5) How They Lie
6) Roses
7) Someone Someday
8) Revolution
9) Idle Hands
10) Memphis
11) Hurricane
12) Try
Tour Dates:
2/23: Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works #
2/24: Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre #
3/24: Helotes, TX – Floore’s Country Store
3/30: Amarillo, TX – Hoot’s Pub
3/31: Lubbock, TX – The Blue light Live
4/5: Austin, TX – The Mohawk
4/7: Stephenville, TX – The Twish Bar & Backyard
4/13: San Angelo, TX – Blaine’s Pub
4/14: Fort Worth, TX – Magnolia Motor Lounge
5/3: Austin, TX – The Mohawk
# – with Randy Rogers Band