Album Review – Cam Pierce’s “A Thousand Lonely Horses”

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#512 (Western) and #570.15 (Singer/Songwriter) on the Country DDS.


Colter Wall and other cool contemporary Western artists have opened up this once forgotten form of country music to a new generation, and new audiences. But even those well versed in the wide expanses of the Western music canon will be strongly intrigued and delighted to hear the decidedly singer/songwriter-style of Western music that Cam Pierce crafts in his newest album called A Thousand Lonely Horses.

Originally from a small logging town in rural Southern Oregon, it doesn’t feel like Pierce set out to make a expressly Western album, and he’s certainly not trying to chase some trend. “Western” is just how the songs and album are rendered, because that’s who Cam Pierce is. There is no pretentiousness, no agenda, and definitely no cosplay involved here. The center of attention is the songs.

Like all great Western music, it’s not just the imagery the lyricism evokes of open spaces and wild landscapes. It’s the little nuggets of wisdom embedded in the verses that feel so prophetic when set to music, no matter how plainspoken they might be delivered. Cam Pierce has a pleasing voice that avoids affectation, and is more focused on being a proper steward of the songs.

A Thousand Lonely Horses was recorded at the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, with members of Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit as part of the crew, namely former bassist Jimbo Hart who acted as co-producer with Pierce. This is one of those albums where you can tell meticulous care was brought to the writing and recording process, with each word, note, and instrument carefully considered; not in a fussy way, but one with love and consideration for the final results.


The music of Cam Pierce is not going to grab you by the collar, and shake you until you pay attention. It’s too thoughtful for that. Instead the experience goes from pleasant but maybe unremarkable feeling, to deeply compelling the more you listen as the wrinkles in the writing and approach reveal themselves. Horns were brought to a couple of the tracks. After all, it was recorded at FAME. But the arrangements resist the urge to get too cute, either in a retro or Western way, while still all being expressive.

Some of the songs don’t fit into a Western motif at all, like the whimsical “Super Cool,” which feels like something maybe Arlo Guthrie would fancy. Pierce makes sure to not hem himself into any expectations on the record, or adhere to genre in a way that could suffocate certain tracks. But ultimately, it’s the way he wields natural inspirations into smart songs that confer sage advice or share interesting observances that makes A Thousand Lonely Horses so tasty.

If you’re looking for an album not just to hear, but listen to, that will take you on a journey out West and to the unfamiliar, but with tones and textures that still rest comfortably in your mind and spirit, let A Thousand Lonely Horses spirit you away from the mundane, leaving your imagination stoked, and your soul filled.

8.2/10

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