Album Review – Kyle Nix’s “Lightning On The Mountain”

The side players of music rarely receive their proper due. There they stand at the edge of the spotlight, hoping for maybe 30 seconds every other song for a solo, and often remain virtually anonymous to most of the crowd, even though they’re commonly the most musically talented individuals on the stage. It’s their job to not be noticed, or to be noticed only briefly. Their service is to the music and the song, and it takes a sense of selflessness to do that job well.
It’s a slightly more enviable diagnosis for fiddle player Kyle Nix of the Turnpike Troubadours. As beloved as Turnpike is, and being a band instead of an outfit behind a solo artist, many fans can rattle off the names of the respective members from memory. You’ve watched them grow up, and they feel more like brothers or friends as opposed to untouchable famous people standing up on stage to entertain you. That’s one of the reasons the Turnpike Troubadours became so beloved.
As some of the fans who witnessed Turnpike’s final shows before they took their indefinite hiatus can attest, Kyle Nix found a second gear in moments that could have lead to an unraveling. Despite not showing much of any propensity or ambition to be the center of attention before, understanding that someone needed to step up, Nix didn’t shy from that responsibility. And with a “next man up” mentality, when Turnpike did eventually falter, he was willing, able, and prepared to keep his friends employed by sliding in front of the reigns, and doing his best.
Don’t come to this record expecting a worthy replacement for Evan Felker or the Turnpike Troubadours, even if the musical lineup that recorded this album is basically Turnpike sans Felker. That’s not the spirit with which the record was written and recorded, and is an unfair expectation to set for the debut album from a guy that spend the first 15-something years of his career as a side player. It may not even be fair to judge it beside the records of seasoned singers and songwriters who’ve had years of head start while Kyle Nix was focused on perfecting his fiddle skills. Kyle Nix is a killer fiddle player. His legacy and contributions are secured in that realm. Anything else he can accomplish is gravy.
Envisioned as a concept record with interludes and elements inspired by the Spaghetti Western sounds of Ennio Morricone, Lightning On The Mountain and Other Short Stories is an ambitious, adventurous, varied, and diverse effort that keeps you on your toes for 17 tracks. Not everything is styled in Spaghetti Western sounds. In fact most of it isn’t. There are ample love songs, and hard-charging country rock songs, and plenty in between. And even though some guitar solos are distinctly Ryan Engleman (Turnpike’s guitarist), and the same for Hank Early on the accordion or steel guitar, Lightning On The Mountain is distinctly a Kyle Nix record, and a country record.

The universal aspect binding the songs together is that everything is based around a story. Since he’s not one of these naturally-tortured souls that must expel demons through songwriting, Kyle Nix’s method here is to deftly interweave words into a compelling narrative with the use of setting, character, and detail, paired with music that emphasizes the passion, the suspense, and the intrigue of the story. Though the work is presented cohesively, each story can be rendered autonomously as its own snippet in time and place.
Though some moments in songs feel a little novice from being penned through method as opposed to deep and moving inspiration, Nix delivers some lines and moments that sink deep. When he sings, “Pretty girls dig graves, but a fool will dig his own,” you feel that, as you do when he sings about about the legacy of his father and grandfather going off to war. His attention to detail in songs aids their ability to stoke the imagination, while his fiddle work is finally allowed to rise to the forefront, whether it’s bowing out the soft sentiments of “Sweet Delta Rose,” or evoking hellfire in “Lightning On The Mountain,” or his spellbinding take on the old standard, “Old Joe Clark.”
Sure, Kyle Nix does not have classically compelling voice, as some will be quick to point out. If he did, we would have heard more of it over the last 13 years. He’s no George Jones. But nobody is, and others have gotten by as singers with much worse. Harping on how Kyle Nix sings is missing the point of this project. The fact that he can sing at all is a bonus, and he holds his own very well on the record.
Again, Lightning On The Mountain is not meant to be a replacement for anything. It’s one of your favorite side players stepping up to the plate to take a swing. There’s going to be some misses and some fouls, especially when he gives you 17 opportunities to scrutinize him. But what’s cool about this record is that he stepped up to the plate at all. It was completely unexpected, and when he does clobber one into the gap or over the wall, you cheer even harder. He’s the underdog, the second fiddle like so many of us, often doing the heavy lifting while someone else takes the lion’s share of the credit.
Amid all the tragedies of the COVID-19 lock down, this record might be one of the most hard hit. Word is there was supposed to be a full tour behind Lightning On The Mountain featuring the boys from the Turnpike Troubadours. Perhaps that will still happen. Perhaps Evan will return when things return to normal, and Turnpike will ride forth once again. Perhaps Even Felker never will return, and Kyle Nix backed by the Turnpike Troubadours band will be as close to the real thing we ever get again.
But regardless of what happens, when you reflect back on the legacy the Turnpike Troubadours left, or your kids do, just like we all do today with those country greats from the past, they will discover this side project from Kyle Nix, enjoy it with an extra vigor because of who it is and what it means, and verify he was one of the coolest fiddle players ever. And perhaps, even something more. Kyle Nix was the guy that stepped up to the plate when the opportunity presented itself, and connected.
1 3/4 Guns Up (7.5/10)
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Purchase from Kyle Nix
Purchase from Amazon
June 26, 2020 @ 9:58 am
Shelby 65 is shit hot.
June 26, 2020 @ 10:12 am
What a beautifully worded article.
June 26, 2020 @ 10:16 am
Sounds good to me. Like most everyone else will surely say, hopefully it’s just a stopgap until Evan gets organized and TT gets back in gear. Either way, Trig says it’s good so Kyle and the boys get my money!
June 26, 2020 @ 10:22 am
Having your songwriting compared to Felker’s is a no win proposition, which is what literally everyone listening to this album will do – whether purposefully or subconsciously.
I hope this album is successful for the band because I want them to do well. Nonetheless, I fear it cannot be judged on its own merits without being haunted by the memories of “what was” and “what should be”.
June 26, 2020 @ 11:01 am
This fear is what I wrote this review around, and I hope it’s convincing to people to judge this record for what it is.
June 26, 2020 @ 11:23 am
I’ll listen to it, to enjoy what Kyle Nix and the band are doing.
And i do enjoy it.
June 26, 2020 @ 10:24 am
Can someone tell me what style his hat is? New to the hat world and haven’t been able to find that style anywhere.
(Also, great record)
June 29, 2020 @ 10:38 am
I believe it’s either the Stetson Open Road or the Resistol version, whose name escapes me now (San Antonio maybe). Open roads are pretty popular now and should be readily available. Just add a little steam, roll that brim, and there you go. Have fun.
June 26, 2020 @ 10:24 am
This is a solid album with great arrangements, lyrics and performances by most any standard. I hope people can keep from making comparisons to TT bc they’d be undercutting a pretty damn great record.
June 26, 2020 @ 10:27 am
If anything this shows me another side of Kyle. That he is a damn good songwriter. If Turnpike ever gets back together this just adds to the band and Kyle should def get a few songs in the set list sort of how the old 97’s go about it with Rhett and Murray. I really enjoyed a lot of the songs on this release and Evan should consider some of the songs cuz I hear him singing a lot of these Tunes as well.
June 26, 2020 @ 10:33 am
I’ve been loving this record. The songs dig so much deeper than the title track “Lightening on the Mountain” My favorites so far after a few listens are Graves, Sweet Delta Rose and Blue Eyes. Excellent
June 26, 2020 @ 10:43 am
Same but it is hardly surprising. Those are the best songs on the album.
June 26, 2020 @ 10:34 am
Will check it out based on those 2 songs.
June 26, 2020 @ 10:36 am
My sole issue with the album is that he released all the best songs as singles. I was eagerly looking forward to the remainder of the songs only to feel slightly deflated. None of the tunes are awful by any stretch but the early offerings are clearly the prime cuts. I will say that the songwriting isn’t the sharpest at times and often generic but he does deliver some great lines. And really, 17 tracks usually exposes some weak points. Few artists are good enough to go 17-17.
“Blue Eyes” is a song of the year material. Classic country theme delivered expertly. It felt just like a prime Turnpike song and you can’t ask for anything more than that. “Sweet Delta Rose” is another well-worn concept given fresh life. “Lightning On the Mountain” is a great revenge tale. “Graves” is 100% truth.
It is a solid album but unfortunately as another poster said subconsciously a listener is going to have TT/Felker comparisons.
June 26, 2020 @ 11:03 am
Such a common problem these days due to the fact that most outlets won’t write about you unless you offer them an “exclusive” song. It’s lazy journalism that injures artists both by necessitating they give away singles early, and since they must pay publicists to receive any press.
June 26, 2020 @ 10:44 am
31C (88F) & it’s getting dark right now.
Lightning On The Mountain & Other Short Stories sounds like the perfect soundtrack.
Not every song…but the album as a whole.
Kyle Nix sounds better on the faster & fast tracks like “Lightning On The Mountain” & “If Ruby Ain’t Happy”. The slower tracks (“Josephine”) are ok.
Not the best album of the year…but a nice change of pace.
The list with new Albums, EP’s & Songs is long this week (the short more or less traditional country version):
Ben Danaher – “All Be Fine”
Bec Willis – “Drive” (Australia)
Lainey Wilson – “Sunday Best”
Innocent Eve – “Mixed Bag” (Australia)
Gary McCarter – “Texoma Summer 93”
Dani Young – “Outback Lullaby” (Australia)
Ben Mastwyk – “Devil So Close” (Australia)
The Hunter Brothers – “Hard Dirt” (Canada)
Ronnie Joudo – “Falling In Love In Galveston” (Australia)
Gayle O’Neil feat. Andrew Swift – “Drive Him Crazy” (Australia)
Dillon Carmichael feat. Logan Murrell – “When You Say Nothing At All”
Josh Arnold feat. Lee Kernaghan – “Thank God I’m ” Country Boy” (Aussie Version) (well…Australia)
EPs:
The True Believers – Calico – 6 Tracks
Katie Brooke – Katie Brooke – 5 Tracks (Australia)
Album:
Tenille Townes – The Lemonade Stand – 12 Tracks (Canada)
June 26, 2020 @ 11:58 am
Really good stuff…but I do agree with the people criticizing the vocals.
He has a very nice singing voice! But it’s akin to listening to the Erwin sisters on their Courtyard Hounds projects – pleasant, but lacking “it.”
It’s not an aesthetic judgment – Steve Earle has “it” just as much as Chris Stapleton does. Both Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood have “it.”
Here’s hoping he can develop not just his songwriting, but the indefinable presence of his voice going forward, because the bones are GREAT.
June 26, 2020 @ 12:40 pm
Eight cuts in thus far and I’m savoring it. Good story telling, and the fiddle gaining a little more leverage against the guitar changes it up a bit, as does a little more Celtic vibe. If you gotta compare, do it for the sake of enjoying the variety, not for counting the loss. This is what the boys have on the menu today, and I’m not going away hungry.
June 26, 2020 @ 12:45 pm
One thing I will say about the voice is that voices get stronger and stronger the more a person sings. Even if you look at someone like Taylor Swift, her voice is so much stronger than it was when she first started, it is something the more you do it, the better and stronger it gets. I would say Kyle’s voice has not reached its peak and if he keeps doing this, it will keep getting better.
June 27, 2020 @ 1:11 pm
I’m gonna start singing a lot more and louder in hopes of eventually getting better! In the back yard! LOL not gonna work for me. I agree for Kyle it may.
June 26, 2020 @ 2:53 pm
Closest I could guess is Stetson Range but reshaped would get you basically the same hat.
June 26, 2020 @ 3:01 pm
It seems very unfair to Kyle Nix to end this review by talking about “well, maybe Evan and Turnpike will return” and not giving him his due. I get that starting off talking about Turnpike gives some context to those who may be unfamiliar or new to the situation, but to simply cast him off as a “side player” or “someone who is just filling in in an absence” and “this may be as close to the real thing as we ever get” is completely shady to Nix and what he has done here.
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People during his live stream last night were doing the same thing….asking him about Turnpike instead of giving him his time to shine.
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Did you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, even if Felker were to return and Turnpike were to come back, maybe Kyle Nix might LIKE being a frontman and that maybe he may choose to continue that path rather than return to being a “side player.”
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Shady, Trigger, real shady.
.
Seems the more I read here lately, the more respect I lose for you.
June 26, 2020 @ 3:52 pm
“Real shady?”
Okay, well first off, when you say “Shady,” you’re implying something unscrupulous or unethical is going on. So what is that?
Also, you put two phrases in quotes, “someone who is just filling in in an absence” and “this may be as close to the real thing as we ever get,” as if I said or implied either of these things, which I never did. That’s pretty shady.
As you say yourself, during Kyle Nix’s live stream, one of the prevailing questions or thoughts was, “When is Turnpike coming back?” Commenters have also said in the past that we wouldn’t be paying attention to Kyle Nix if he wasn’t in the Turnpike Troubadours—that his music isn’t good enough. Instead of acting like those concerns don’t exist, I addressed them directly in the review, answering those concerns, explaining why the record is important to regard and on its own merit, and I think that’s the take the vast majority of readers will take away from it.
The more I read your comments, Cobra, the more I think your lack of respect for me is clouding your judgement.
June 26, 2020 @ 4:16 pm
Trigger, this is a direct quote from your review:
“Perhaps Evan will return when things return to normal, and Turnpike will ride forth once again. Perhaps Even Felker never will return, and Kyle Nix backed by the Turnpike Troubadours band will be as close to the real thing we ever get again.”
So, yes, you did say one of those things directly and fully imply the other. You essentially ended your review with it. One of the things I put in quotes was almost exactly a direct quote and the other, while not a direct quote was right there between the lines.
And my lack of respect for you is not clouding my judgement. It is my very clear judgement that despite the ultimate rating you gave the album that led me to be able to judge that your review was shady and disrespectful to Kyle.
June 26, 2020 @ 4:44 pm
Yes, that is a direct quote from me, and it’s simply laying out the scenarios that could transpire moving forward, and was not a commentary on Kyle Nix’s music whatsoever. If anything, it’s redundant and obvious. But “Completely shady” or “very shady”?
Both Kyle Nix’s print publicist and radio publicist shared this review, so apparently the people in his own team don’t see the same problematic issues with this review that you do.
Man, some of the people who have a hard on for hating me are really having to stretch these days. Thanks for souring the constructive and positive conversation here yet again, asshole.
June 26, 2020 @ 5:19 pm
I don’t know what to say anymore, Trigger. I’ve already torn you so many new assholes you can’t tell which one is the original.
You just keep doing you, man.
June 26, 2020 @ 4:51 pm
Piss off Cobra.
You are trying in vain to make an issue where none exists.
This is a great write up of Kyle Nix and the band.
Keep on keepin’ on Trigger
June 26, 2020 @ 9:16 pm
Some people seem to wake up in the morning with the explicit goal of finding something to be offended or upset about. Seemingly as if they have an ax to grind for their own shortcomings. The sad thing is they don’t realize that anyone with half a brain can see right through it. “I’ve already torn you so many assholes…” Seriously that is so delusional I wondered for a minute if it wasn’t satire. I agree with you Di…this is a well written and thoughtful review.
June 27, 2020 @ 6:37 am
“Shady.”
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
June 27, 2020 @ 6:34 am
“Seems the more I read here lately, the more respect I lose for you.”
Reckon you should probably quit coming here and reading then, ol’ hoss.
June 26, 2020 @ 5:46 pm
I don’t know if the comparisons to Turnpike could have been avoided, given the impact they’ve had on this scene and its fans. When I first heard the title song before I knew anything else about the project, my first thought was, “This sounds a lot like Turnpike without Evan.” I can see how said comparisons might not be fair, but speaking for myself I mean that as the highest compliment.
June 26, 2020 @ 8:53 pm
There’s several times where you can just hear Felker singing it in your mind and you know it would be a little better, but at the same time you’ve got a guy putting out material his first time out on primary writing and vocal duties and you can see a lot of the songs slotting right in to a Turnpike set. I don’t know how you avoid comparing this effort to Turnpike, but I also don’t know how that isn’t a huge fuckin’ compliment in its own right.
We all want Turnpike to ride again, but damn if this isn’t a nice album to fill the gap right now. The band will be stronger than ever if they get back together. If they don’t, Kyle Nix is an artist worth paying attention to on his own merits and I only see the songwriting and singing getting stronger from here.
Hell of a review, Trigger.
June 27, 2020 @ 5:20 am
Not sure how a reviewer couldn’t mention Turnpike. Nix has a built-in fan base because of his association with Turnpike. His music would obviously be influenced by Turnpike as well. No musician is tabula rasa especially a singer who spent years in a critically acclaimed band.
Speaking for myself, I wouldn’t have been eagerly waiting for this album if Nix was a newcomer. I am sure reviewers talked about the Beatles when Commie John and Paul went solo.
People whine about the most common sense topics.
June 27, 2020 @ 6:01 am
Fiddle players releasing albums seems to be a growing trend, and one I am fully behind.
June 27, 2020 @ 8:40 am
That is a great album! There is absolutely nothing wrong with his vocals, there were no bad lyrics and the playing is top notch. There is no logical reason to give this less than 9/10. As far a people not being able to separate it from his other band, just put the record on and listen to it front to back the way it is intended, the narrative should be enough to take your mind elsewhere. Also, Turnpike Troubadours have some great songs but the best in my opinion was written by John Hartford anyway so I dont understand this at all. It’s a fantastic album that was clearly written and recorded by an artist who put all he had into it.
June 27, 2020 @ 9:49 am
Anyone complaining about his voice hasn’t heard the original TT Bossier city record. Part of the allure and success of TT was due to Evan Felker’s amazing singing voice, but listen to him on that record and you wonder how it can be the same person. I’d say Kyle Nix is way ahead of the curve in that regard. I think the album stands up very well on its own and I hope he does more in the future. Maybe they wind up doing a David Lowery type Cracker / Camper Van Beethoven thing on the road; a Kyle Nix set followed up by a TT set.
June 27, 2020 @ 9:58 am
Just to clarify because this has been misreported in certain places (and people have jumped my butt about it), Kyle Nix did not sing on the first Turnpike Troubadours record “Bossier City.” That was the first guitar player Casey Sliger. I’ve confirmed this with Kyle Nix. Kyle did sing the song live a few times in the place of Casey, but hasn’t in the last 8 or 9 years or so from what I understand.
June 27, 2020 @ 10:06 am
And just to clarify my comment, I was saying Evan Felker’s voice was, in my opinion, not good on the Bossier City record.
June 27, 2020 @ 10:17 am
That comment makes me think of Jimmie Vaughan. His singing isn’t all that great on the The Vaughan Brothers Family Style album, which they worked on shortly after he left The Fabulous Thurderbirds, where he held down the lead guitar spot and Kim WIlson (one of the greatest white blues singers, I think) was the lead singer. My feeling is that he must have worked hard on his singing before he went out on his own, starting with the Strange Pleasure album. I mean, he’s no Kim Wilson (or even Stevie Ray) as a singer, but he’s a solid, charming, entertaining blues singer with his own style.
June 27, 2020 @ 1:02 pm
The greatness of Turnpike Troubadours is in blending the magic of Felker’s songs and the magic of the band. On this project the band sounds as good as ever, which is more magic than the vast majority of records have, and I love it. He really nails it on Shelby 65, Manifest, Lightning on the Mountain, and Sweet Delta Rose
June 28, 2020 @ 4:55 am
I’ve wondered if Kyle is related to Western Swingers, Hoyle and Jody Nix?
I love the songs I’ve heard so far, no complaints here.
August 8, 2020 @ 8:10 am
I wish the dude the best and look forward to listening to the album. Let’s just say it…Dude was an integral part of one of the better bands ever!!! Yes Dumbass needs to get his shit together, but, damn the whole is greater than the sum of the parts! Shit they were a great band!!!!
March 25, 2021 @ 10:09 am
I have been away for a while, for my own personal reasons.
I have stopped myself from buying this album because of Trigger’s expertise. I’ve finally bought and listened to it.
This is one of the top 5 albums of 2020. This needs to be revisited.
I hope somehow this comment makes that happen.
That is all.