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Harvey Russell Reviews New Turnpike Troubadours Album “A Cat In The Rain”
On “A Cat in the Rain” Turnpike Troubadours give us a glimpse into the struggles of the past few years and reassure us they can still produce quality, red dirt country.
There were many times over the last four years when this record seemed inconceivable. With the band on an indefinite hiatus, following frontman and songwriter Evan Felker’s breakdown, there was a chance we’d heard the last of the Turnpike Troubadours.
With Felker getting sober, and with some firm guard rails around his return to playing live, the band began touring and recording again in 2022.
A Cat in the Rain is a comeback album. It’s release is emblematic of the unlikely, yet triumphant, story that is the Turnpike Troubadours of 2023. A while back (early 2019 to be a little more precise) things came apart at the seams. This was at a time when the band’s recognition and success was at an all time high. Put simply, without a functioning lead man and songwriter the band couldn’t go on.
Away from the distracting and escapist comfort of the road, and with the fortitude it took to face his demons, Felker turned things around. As with the band, it appears he has come out stronger on the other side. And with fans flocking to their shows in the past 15 months, support has only grown. There’s a lot of love at these recent live shows as well as gratitude and understated forgiveness. For the band, and for Felker in particular, there’s redemption in all of it.
Given the circumstances of its release it might be tempting to assess the merits of this album with wide and fawning eyes. Indeed, it’s existence is a feat in itself. On any assessment this is a strong Turnpike Troubadours album. But it doesn’t introduce a new direction or change of style, and it would be bold to say this is their absolute best effort yet. However, what it does do is ground the band firmly in its roots at a time when they need it most. It signals a brave return and a message that the band is back in town and hopefully here to stay.
I read somewhere that Felker is an Ernest Hemmingway fan. ‘Papa’s’ short stories, one of which shares the same title as this album, often employ the iceberg theory to writing (or theory of omission). This is where only limited but important facts about a story become evident, leaving much of the real structure under the surface for the reader to deduce. This should sound familiar to Turnpike fans. Felker often gives us clear descriptions of situations pertinent to his lyrical storytelling, yet there always a lot bubbling away under the surface. Many of the songs on A Cat in the Rain are no exception.
The band announces its return together, in an ominous and eerie fashion at the start of the opening track and first single, “Mean Old Sun”, with curdled backing vocals chanting behind a lone banjo. Lyrically, this is Felker defining the period he spent recently in the wilderness, putting in the work to be strong enough to return. This one hits with a heavy beat and makes a strong statement. It’s the anthemic “Gin, Smoke, Lies” ten years on, with the production befitting a world class country band.
“Brought Me” is next. And it’s a hard ask not to have this hook-soaked gem on repeat. This is the kind of track Turnpike fans will have been waiting for during the six years between albums. Combining country, red dirt and cajun influences this is an affecting love song to the Turnpike community to say thank you for waiting. There are also reassurances: “Oh now, it still beats steady/This heart I handed you for free/Should you ever need a thing/It won’t be hard to find.”
Written by emerging artist Lance Roark and bassist R.C. Edwards, “Chipping Mill” is a catchy, familiar track, jostling for air with classic upbeat Turnpike songs such as “Morgan Street” or “7&7”. “A Cat in the Rain”, “East Side Love Song” and dark, western “Lucille” have Felker contemplating his muse with varying degrees of intensity. Interestingly, the persistent character of Lorrie is noticeably absent on this record.
Felker does hunting songs well and “The Rut” is no exception. Reminiscing about family trips into the mountains, the songwriter uses this opportunity to reflect honestly about his struggles with alcohol and the resolve he is now applying to create a better life. “I don’t miss the taste of liquor or really anything about it/But the temporary shelter was a welcome compromise/Oh friend, I’m gonna ride out of the rut I’m in/A little elevation and an open-ended prayer.” The southern country cover of Ozark Mountain Daredevils “Black Sky” is an interesting choice and a change of pace for a record that, stylistically, is otherwise not a significant departure from previous Turnpike outings.
Producer Shooter Jennings has managed to maintain much of the familiar Turnpike sound while bringing things up a notch, certainly compared to the early albums. The band is playing as well as they ever have. And Jennings has allowed each member’s contribution to shine, perhaps moreso than on previous albums. The team effort is emphasised in the final moments of the last song on the record, a cover of Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Won’t You Give Me One More Chance” with the band singing their appeal in unison, just as they came in.
Global superstar Luke Combs is heading back to Australia and New Zealand in January and February 2025 and is set to break records as the first country artist to headline a full stadium tour down under.
Playing eight huge shows across Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, the multi-platinum, award-winning singer-songwriter will be joined by Stateside icons Jordan Davis and Mitchell Tenpenny, along with local legend Lane Pittman, who supported Combs on his 2023 Australian tour. The explosive stadium show will be one of epic proportions, the likes of which have never been seen in Australia and New Zealand.
Bootleggers presale tickets will be available from Monday 23 September, while Frontier Members can access presale tickets on Tuesday 24 September, scroll down for timings. For more information, head to frontiertouring.com/lukecombs
Luke Combs’ upcoming tour is the latest milestone in an already monumental career, which last week saw him scoop up nominations for Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year (Fathers & Sons) and the coveted Entertainer of the Year (which he won in 2021 and 2022), at this year’s CMA Awards.
Local audiences have well and truly embraced Combs, evidenced with Sydney and Brisbane amongst Luke’s Top 4 global streaming cities on Spotify, and with ARIA 3x Platinum album This One’s For You, and the chart-topping 2x Platinum What You See Ain’t Always What You Get. On his fourth headline Australian tour, Combs’ will cement his unparalleled trajectory, progressing from intimate theatres to stadiums in just five short years.
Released in June, Combs’ Fathers & Sons album is a collection of twelve poignant tracks featuring his most personal songwriting to date. Recorded entirely live, the album sees Combs reflect on his own experiences being a dad to his two sons and the unique bond between parents and their children, and features lead single ‘The Man He Sees In Me’.
Critical acclaim for Fathers & Sons —
“he’s going beyond the country realm now and really has become a pop star, a global popstar” – NPR Music
“filled with unexpected warmth and vulnerability…a perfect match for Mr. Combs’s warm and engaging style.” – The Wall Street Journal
The record adds yet another landmark for Combs, whose hit radio single ‘Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma’ featured on the soundtrack for the new Twisters movie and is the subject of a new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Entitled Luke Combs: The Man I Am, the exhibit features a variety of photographs, childhood memorabilia, instruments, set lists and more from throughout Combs’ life and career.
Earlier this year, Combs performed an unforgettable duet of ‘Fast Car’ with Tracy Chapman during the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards, which Rolling Stone called “one of the all-time best collaborative performances in Grammy history.” The performance added to a massive year for ‘Fast Car’, as Combs’ version of the song won Single of the Year at the 2024 ACM Awards and 2023 CMA Awards (with Chapman winning Song of the Year). It also spent five-consecutive weeks atop Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and reached No.1 on the Hot AC Chart, the first song by a male solo artist to ever top both. The 2x Platinum single, which has garnered over 1.1 billion global streams to date, also spent eighteen weeks in the Top 5 of Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100 chart, eight of which were spent at No.2.
Returning down under after making their Australian debuts at CMC Rocks QLD in 2023, both Jordan Davis and Mitchell Tenpenny will bring the heat to stadiums in 2025.
Award-winning, multi-platinum singer/songwriter Jordan Davis is known for his Platinum-selling albums Homestate and Bluebird Days as well as his CMA and ACM winning Song of the Year hits and numerous No.1s, including ‘Next Thing You Know’, ‘Buy Dirt’, ‘What My World Spins Around’, ‘Tucson Too Late’, ‘Singles You Up’, ‘Take It From Me’ and ‘Slow Dance In A Parking Lot’. Having secured wins for Best New Country Artist at the iHeartRadio Music Awards (2019) and Billboard’s Top New Country Artist of 2018, he has gone on to be nominated for ACM New Male and Male of the Year and is the current reigning ACM Song of the Year winner for ‘Next Thing You Know’. Currently at work on his new album, Davis recently released ‘I Ain’t Sayin’, the first single off his upcoming project.
A multi-faceted entertainer, Mitchell Tenpenny is a singer, songwriter, producer and performer. Since the release of his debut 3x Platinum No.1 single ‘Drunk Me’, Tenpenny has surpassed 2.1 billion global streams and continues to set the standard for breakout success in country music. His new studio album The 3rd is released tomorrow.
At just eighteen years of age, Tamworth’s Lane Pittman is quickly making an impact in Australian country music. Rising to fame as his debut EP leapt to No.1 on the ARIA Australian Country Album Charts, Pittman has performed on some of the country’s biggest stages, joining Luke Combs on his 2023 tour of Australia and New Zealand.
One of music’s most captivating live performers, tickets to Luke Combs’ last tour of Australia and New Zealand sold out in minutes. Don’t miss out – these shows will sell fast, so make sure you get in quickly!
I Don’t Get Mad, I Get Even is the latest burning single from rising country star, Katie Jayne, out now through indie country label, RTC Records.
Hold on to your hats, Katie Jayne is back with a hot new country single to get you fired up for summer. I Don’t Get Mad, I Get Even keeps building from start to finish as the stakes get higher and the revenge even sweeter. Enlisting Nashville’s Tim Crouch on fiddle and mandolin, in lieu of the traditional lead guitar, this country track builds into a frenzy with no relief in sight.
Written with Aussie country legend, Troy Kemp, and produced by Jared Adlam, Katie is cementing herself as one to watch in the rise of country music in Australia.
Of the track, Katie says, “I love the energy in this song, the room felt electric when we wrote this and that same energy was expertly captured in the studio with Jared. It’s the sequel to Carrie Underwood’s Before He Cheats. He should have listened to her song first!”
Based in the Hunter Valley, country artist, Katie Jayne is best known for her fun, high energy band performances and authentic social media presence. Her soulful voice, unforgettable melodies, and magnetic stage presence, combined with her band’s exceptional musicianship, will leave you wanting more!
A champion of women, her songs lead the listener on a journey of girl power style sass through to a vulnerable relatability. Exploring an autobiographical writing style, Katie writes songs for girls just like her while drawing inspiration from the likes of Miranda Lambert, The Chicks and Dolly Parton.
A popular act in Honky Tonks in NSW and QLD, Katie is powering on playing live shows and releasing more music than ever before. Coupled with her ever growing popularity on social media, Katie is dominating on short form video platforms and quickly making a name for herself as one to watch out for in 2024.
Katie also presents The Cruze with Katie, weekdays from 1 to 6pm on 2NM in Muswellbrook.
Saddle up for three nights of original songs, stories, and grooves with a triple bill of country and psychedelic rock on the “Outback Tour”.
Three original acts from regional NSW were chosen from hundreds of applicants, to bring their songs and stories to the far west, in a tour curated by MusicNSW. These amazing artists are set to share their passion for music and love of performing, so let’s take a moment to shine the light on each of them before you pencil a date into your calendar for October.
Megan Woods came bursting onto the scene in May 2022 with her debut single “Shirt On The Floor,” and swiftly garnered attention, clinching two prestigious awards at the Dotted Eight Music Awards later that year. Her newest release “Shattering the Silence” is a moving, thoughtful country classic.
Baeden Faint, from the great town of Cobar, draws inspiration from artists like Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers and Colter Wall, making real music that is raw and honest. His tendency to ramble the countryside has led him to several unlikely songwriting locations.
“I’ve played guitar and written songs everywhere. On a coastal cliff face, top of a misty mountain, waterfalls, island in the middle of a creek, camped out under an old corry shelter in the middle of nowhere, on the edge of the Simpson desert.”
Every little detail in Baeden’s life contributes to his stunning lyricism – his words resonate with honesty and authenticity because he’s truly lived them.
Liquid Culture (Bathurst) – a cocktail blend of psychedelic grooves, alternate riffs, and distinctive melodies – drawing inspiration from iconic bands such as Pink Floyd, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Fleetwood Mac, they share a passion for creating music that solidifies their own sound and speaks to the human experience. Their latest single “Lysergic Lavender” takes on a bluesy, almost reggae turn. They are the soundtrack of great nights out and the perfect road trip vibe.
This tour has been possible with support from MusicNSW, Bush Witch Productions, Create NSW, The Palace Hotel Broken Hill, Wilcannia Golf Club, and Cobar Golf Club.
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