Monument Records

****

The best songwriters are those that succeed in sharing their emotions without restriction or restraint, and the fact that Walker Hayes expresses himself so convincingly indicates that not only has he already reached that point in his still-blossoming career, but he also possesses the talent needed to take his talents further. I recall seeing him at one of the C2C sideshows at the O2 a few years ago and being impressed by both his performing stance and his writing skills. His life has been something of a roller-coaster ride since he moved to Nashville some 17 years ago as a 25-year-old wannabe country star with a young wife in tow. Now with six kids, alcohol-free for seven years and finally enjoying commercial success, the challenges and traumas that led to this new album have made his talents as a musician and songwriter even sharper. There’s been a major sea change for Walker Hayes, and you can sense it. Listening to this album feels like catching your balance on a beam: a totter followed by a firmness of feet and flood of relief. 

So, while it’s apparent that Walker’s been at this a while, it’s also clear he’s not simply some old soul inhabiting a youthful persona. He eschews pretense, and instead populates his music with his ageless instincts. His sardonic wit and powerfully twangy Alabama croon are instantly recognisable, and his songs—about love, parenting and the ups and downs of life—mark him as a deft lyricist

and as purposeful and direct as ever.

Though the majority of these songs are co-writes with such Music Row tunesmiths as Lori McKenna, Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Shane Stevens and Nash Overstreet, you still feel like your eavesdropping on pages torn from his own personal diary. An engaging singer, Walker can both float in on a cloud of love songs and crank out country-rap with rich pop overtones. The album turns from the raggedness of loss to the velvet smoothness of joy in the jaunty singalong Fancy Like. That latter song, inspired by a family drive to a local eatery, became one of the biggest country-pop crossover hits of 2021. It was exactly the lighthearted song that was needed during the trying times of the past couple of years coupled with a catchy melody and insinuating lyrics that just couldn’t be ignored. Booze also plays a role in this collection with Drinkin’ Songs and AA. The latter is splashed with a dash of whiskey and a little southern humour, coming off like a timeless slice of intoxicating country with a new-school approach, as he tackles every odd job he can think of to take his mind off of Jack. The opening Drinkin’ Songs pays homage to Hank Jr. as Walker sits on a barstool, downing one after another, singin’ along to the jukebox to blot out memories of a former lover.

On the softer, acoustic-led Briefcase, a duet with Lori McKenna, he turns the mirror on himself, scouring a childhood spent in an Alabama family in which his dad was always late home from work, for a real understanding of his deepest flaws and most fundamental beliefs. Likening a guitar case to a briefcase in comparing his own and his late father’s life is clever and unique and makes for the best song on the album. Laney, his wife is the inspiration for the majority of these songs, like the gently swaying Make You Cry. The lyrics describe the way that love allows us to communicate without words, something I hope we all have known in our lives. There’s a similar sentiment in the romantic declaration Life With You, a moving love song about losing yourself in the darker memories of a past life and embracing the future with open arms. This song demonstrates his uncanny ability to transport a listener ... listening to the song feels akin to stepping into some fuzzy, almost-forgotten memory from many summers ago.

The title song, Country Stuff, featuring Jake Owens on guest vocals, is a throwaway song about all the things a southern country boy loves. Lightweight, yes, but inoffensive and much better than those bro-country ditties of dirt roads and flat-bed trucks that we were bombarded with a few years ago. More in keeping with what really makes Walker Hayes tick is What You Don’t Wish For. Brutally honest, there is more than just a heady sense of self in the lyrics, as he offers wise words of encouragement to all those budding singers out there. Sung from personal experience, this one is definitely from the heart.   

www.walkerhayes.com

January 2022