Album Review – George Dearborne – “Lotta Honky Tonkin’ Left In Me”

#510 (Traditional Country) on the Country DDS.

Chances are that unless you’re from around the Beaumont, TX area, you probably have never heard of George Dearborne. But if you’re a true country fan, you’ll be glad you just did. You may not recognize his name, but you will certainly recognize some of the names that appear on his new album—names like guitarist Brent Mason, keyboard/piano player Jim “Moose” Brown, bass player Glen Worf, fiddle player Larry Franklin, and singer Pam Tillis.

Most importantly, you will immediately recognize George Dearborn’s new album Lotta Honky Tonkin’ Left In Me as the kind of traditional country music that immediately sits right with you, that reminds you of the greatness that country music used to be, and that sets you at ease knowing this timeless sound hasn’t been lost, but is still being deployed against bad livers and broken hearts.

Ever year we have half a dozen or so of these country music projects by a singer that goes to Nashville, pulls out all the stops by putting together the best collection of songs with the greatest players, and releases an album that for traditional country fans is *chef kiss* perfect. It also seems like Brent Mason is usually involved. After all, Mason is the keeper of the ’90s country sound in many respects.

Speaking of recognizable names, some might recognize the name of producer Jimmy Ritchey, known for writing songs like George Strait’s “Twang,” and working with Mark Chesnutt and Clay Walker. Some more recognizable names appear in the songwriting credits, like Kendell Marvel, Jim Lauderdale, Cletus T. Judd, and Pam Tillis.

But enough about the other names involved, as soon as you cue up this album, George Dearborne and his voice become the center of attention. From the Beaumont, Texas area just like like George Jones, Mark Chesnutt, and Tracy Byrd, Dearnorne has been sort of a late bloomer. In the late ’70s he worked as a drummer. Then in the ’90s, Dearborne started fronting his own band, playing regularly at the legendary Cutter’s Dance Hall in Beaumont that helped give rise to that hot east Texas sound from Chesnutt, Byrd, and others.

But for whatever reason, George Dearborne never really broke out from being a regional act. Here later in life though, he’s giving it a renewed push by first releasing an album in 2020 called Old Brown Bottle, and now Lotta Honky Tonkin’ Left In Me, signaling that despite his mature age, Dearborne is ready to keep the sound going.

You hear a song like “Misery Loves Country,” and you’re immediately set right. Written by Josh Kerr, David Frasier, Edward Hill, there may have never been a better encapsulation of the “sad songs make me happy” power of country music and commiseration. The prison song “I’ll Break Out Again Tonight” becomes the perfect showcase for George Dearborne’s voice. One song after another on this album does you right.

It’s fair to point out that Dearborne didn’t write any of these songs himself. Instead, he handed that responsibility over to experts. But it happens to be that the songwriting is one of the strong selling points of the album. There are so many excellent traditional country songs out there just waiting for a singer like George Dearborne to take and knock out of the park like he does on this album. The only big recognizable cover is his version of Merle Haggard’s “Fightin’ Side of Me.”

As George Dearborne and Lotta Honky Tonkin’ Left In Me illustrate, making great country music isn’t rocket science. Get some great country songs, put the right pickers on them, and the magic ensues. In truth it’s probably a bit harder than that, but George Dearborne sure makes it sound easy, and as a country fan, Lotta Honky Tonkin’ Left In Me is easy to love.

1 3/4 Guns Up (8.1/10)

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