Review – Vincent Neil Emerson’s – “The Golden Crystal Kingdom”

It’s only those uninitiated in the new crop of country music songwriters who complain that all the greats are gone, and the magic of the music is never to return to its heyday in the 70s when guys like Rodney Crowell and Townes Van Zandt were sitting around Guy Clark’s kitchen table, cranking out songs that would define the greatest contributions of a generation.
Guy and Townes may no longer be with us. But Rodney still is, and he personally cites Vincent Neil Emerson as one of the newer songwriters filling those shoes in the contemporary era. A native Texan with Choctaw-Apache heritage who draws inspiration from the land and the songwriters who came before him, Vincent Neil Emerson has many feeling that magic that only the best of music can impart.
The Golden Crystal Kingdom might be a fantastical-sounding title, and some of the rhetoric preceding this album might be about Emerson “defying genre” with his third release. But don’t worry, you get everything you want from a Vincent Neil Emerson album here, including quality songs and a country sound, even if it lunges into the country rock realm in stretches, just like all those Heartworn country songwriters of the 70s did too.
The opening song “Time of the Rambler” is a dour reflection on how the era when a young soul could wander aimlessly throughout the United States searching for themselves and a sense of fulfillment from the freedom life imparts is in the past. It’s hard to find that Big Rock Candy Mountain when it’s impossible to get lost anymore.
This nostalgic, bygone yearning for times and places better than the current one comes up often on the album. The title track isn’t about a Disney castle. It’s ultimately about commemorating those wooden dance floors in old country stores in Texas where despite the humble nature of the setting, so much magic happens.

It’s not just the songs, but the sound of The Golden Crystal Kingdom that helps set your mind some 50 years in the past. Producer Shooter Jennings allows Emerson’s songs and singing to be the centerpiece on certain tracks like the acoustic “Clover on the Hillside,” or Emerson’s cover of Charley Crockett’s “Time of the Cottonwood Trees.” Most of this album is assuredly country, with songs like “Time of the Rambler” and “On The Banks of the Old Guadalupe,” and their steel guitar accompaniment defining the sound.
But in other instances, some fuzzy ’70s guitar comes in very hot. This injects a bit of energy in what’s otherwise a well-mannered singer/songwriter album. The bluesy “Hang Your Head Down Low” will get the pulse rate up for sure, and the disturbed and unsettled moments found in the lyricism of “Man From Uvalde” are met with similar moody textures in the sound.
Stuff may get a little too wild on Emerson’s rendition of Buffy Saint-Marie’s classic “Co’dine.” Some sort of reverse tape playback effect is employed on the guitar in a way that potentially graduates it from bold and distinctive to downright distracting. The knock of Shooter Jennings production early on was his propensity to inject wanky guitar parts where they weren’t warranted. He’s since chilled out significantly, but this might be an instance where he’s reverted back.
These more rock-oriented moments are also what separate Vincent Neil Emerson from the singer/songwriter gaggle, and allows his live show to be something more unique as well. Though “defying genre” doesn’t feel like the right description, Emerson and Shooter do a really excellent job catering the music of The Golden Crystal Kingdom to the theme of each song, delivering a tasty and engaging experience cover to cover. This is good, because some of the middle songs of the record strain to convey what they’re trying to express.
Nobody will ever truly fill the shoes of the past singer and songwriter greats like Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt. But what this generation can do is build from their foundation and continue that legacy into the future. This is what Vincent Neil Emerson is doing, and to favorable results on his third album.
8/10
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Purchase from LaHonda Records
November 15, 2023 @ 10:18 am
Meh. It’s ok
November 15, 2023 @ 10:45 am
It’s a cool album. Still digesting. His debut years back, Fried Chicken & Evil Women, is still a favorite, but VNE has developed some frustrating traits as of late – one being a sense of self-seriousness that I find a little tedious. Not just lyrically, but live too.
Saw him live before the new album drop and most of the set was stuff off the new album, a few songs from his debut, and nothing from his sophomore album. It wasn’t exactly a people-pleaser of a set in my view, but I guess that wasn’t the point. Plus the recent push toward identity-politics that seems a tad dubious on the surface. But, I guess people live their own truths and some fans, and potential fans, reactive favorably to that kind of thing.
November 15, 2023 @ 11:52 am
Its interesting to hear your thoughts on his recent sets. I feel like the new album makes his live show so much better. I saw him open for Crocket 4 years ago and VNE set was super sad. At the time all he had were sad/slow songs which doesn’t get the crowd going. Now he has songs that are more upbeat with the new album and allow his band to really play. Loved seeing him live. “Little Wolf’s Invincible Yellow Medicine Paint” is a hell of a song to see.
November 15, 2023 @ 12:03 pm
This is great to hear. I only got to see him opening for Colter Wall this year, in Denver, so I’ll be anxious what a current set list looks like for VNE when he comes back through my area.
Like I said elsewhere, I really enjoyed the Texas Moon album. I just know I’ll be disappointed if it’s true that he has little to none of the songs off this album in his set now.
November 15, 2023 @ 12:17 pm
Colter Wall?!!! Oh man if he ever would come out to the PNW it would be something else. What a show you got to see.
I think its common for artists to promote their new album by filling most of their set of with the new songs. Even Jason Isbell did that this year and he’s got a giant catalogue.
That being said, when I saw VNE about a month ago, he played Willie Nelsons Wall, Letters on the Marquee, 7 come 11, Fried Chicken and Evil Women, 25 & Wastin Time, Cactus Blossom Special, Road Runner. He threw in a few covers along with the stuff from his new album! Too me it was quite the setlist and I thought it was well arraigned.
November 15, 2023 @ 12:29 pm
Beau I’ve seen VNE twice in the last six months and at both shows he didn’t play a single song from Texas Moon.
I’m guessing there may be some bad blood between him and Rodney Crowell? Otherwise I don’t understand why he wouldn’t play songs from that excellent album, especially when that was the album he was ostensibly touring for.
November 15, 2023 @ 12:30 pm
I don’t mean to speak for other fans at the gig I was at, I’d say most of the crowd seemed to really dig his set, but the best reactions by far came when he played stuff off the debut album – people singing along etc.
I’m not a “just play the hits!” kind of guy, but I tend to dislike when artists overload their sets with new or as-yet unreleased music. To me it conveys a message that the artist isn’t there for the audience, rather for themselves.
To that last point there was a moment during the gig when VNE got rattled, messed up a line, and skewered a guy in the front row for having his back to the stage while talking to a friend. That got laughs from the crowd, but it made for an awkward, confrontational vibe between artist and audience that I usually find off-putting.
November 15, 2023 @ 1:00 pm
Whoa! Were you at the same show? He played Bend in October and something similar happened. Where he said “if you don’t like the music get the F out” lol.
I know what you mean by playing familiar songs, however I like when artists mix in new songs that haven’t even been released yet. It makes the show more special. That being said I agree some of the new songs aren’t the best live but others are epic live.
The ones he could drop would be Meet You in Montana, Cod’ine ( the original is much better), time of the cottonwood trees (I like Charleys version better), and blackland prairies.
Now Time of the Rambler, Golden Crystal Kingdom, Hang your Head Down Low, and Little Wolf are great additions to the live set.
November 15, 2023 @ 1:41 pm
Lol, nah, not the same show, but interesting to hear similar anecdotes from elsewhere. It just seems pretty obvious, from his lyrics and onstage persona, that VNE feels some contempt for his audience (or just the live experience in general) and maybe invites an adversarial relationship. Some artists and their fanbases seem to thrive off that, the whole outlaw with a chip on their shoulder shtik, but I don’t have a ton of patience for it.
November 15, 2023 @ 12:02 pm
Tex Hex I think you’re spot on regarding VNE’s frustrating traits, which I’ve noticed too.
November 15, 2023 @ 11:35 am
This is one of my favorite albums of the year. These songs live are something else, he really puts on a show. Hell at one point he told the crowd “if you don’t like the music get the F out”.
He really captures the old classic country sound on this album along with his great lyrics. I am hoping this album gets him more attention, I feel like he is pretty slept on.
November 15, 2023 @ 11:49 am
I bought his last album after reading about it on savingcountry.com and really enjoyed it. His a classy singer songwriter and I like what I hear from this album. Hopefully, it will be released on CD. It only seems to be on download and Vinyl at the moment.
November 15, 2023 @ 12:46 pm
Yeah, it appears physical product once again is not available upon release for an artist that is partnered with a major label (RCA).
November 15, 2023 @ 3:29 pm
Physical vinyl and an indie version have been available the entire presale cycle. The records arrived to buyers on street date.
November 15, 2023 @ 4:30 pm
I went looking this morning for links to build to physical product like I always do with my reviews and could not locate it either through the Vincent Neil Emerson website, Amazon, or Google. I did see the indie record store Gold exclusive. If I can’t find it, and WuK can’t find it, that means other people can’t find it.
I did just find it on the LaHonda website and placed a link in the review.
November 15, 2023 @ 10:00 pm
“ Yeah, it appears physical product once again is not available upon release for an artist that is partnered with a major label (RCA).”
You made a blanket statement here that physical product was not available. Then replied that when writing the article earlier you found the indie gold vinyl link. So that’s the reason I commented. Your statement was not accurate. Also another statement that Amazon did not have the record for sale. It is available there and has been since the announce.
A quick Google search also turns up these results plus Merchbar and other outlets.
The record can also be purchased in record stores. Any store that orders from distributors has the product.
November 15, 2023 @ 4:31 pm
You can buy the CD from LaHonda:
https://lahondarecords.com/products/vincent-neil-emerson-self-titled-cd?pr_prod_strat=use_description&pr_rec_id=bc09f3d2a&pr_rec_pid=7343675179096&pr_ref_pid=7464496005208&pr_seq=uniform
November 15, 2023 @ 11:56 am
I’ll have to give this one a few more spins before settling in to how I really feel about it. I really enjoyed his first two records and it’s weird to me how quickly he, himself, seemed to have moved on from his sophmore album inparticular. Was bummed I never got to see him live with a heavier setlist from that album because I still go back to it top to bottom on occasion.
This one definitely seems more… serious, for lack of a better word. I will always support an artist writing and singing from their heart and not forcing a persona or brand that isn’t true, but on the first 1-2 listens, it just hasn’t grabbed me the same way that the first two did.
November 15, 2023 @ 2:08 pm
Solid solid album. I just can’t get why we’ve collectedly decided to saddle the guy with TVZ and Clark comparisons.
Anyways some of the songs are really good but god damn “Time of the Cottonwood Trees”. I loved the original, but this might be near as good. I like how he’s thrown in a few 7th chords, and though his singing isn’t fancy he gets a plaintive reminiscence across that just sounds beautiful. I kinda hope that song becomes a standard.
November 15, 2023 @ 2:10 pm
Been a bit busy this week so I haven’t really given this a good listen yet. Just a little here and there while driving and working around the house. So far I’m liking it. Just how much I’m not sure. I really loved Fried Chicken & Evil Women, but was somewhat disappointed by the 2nd album. I’m hoping a few more listens will have this album turning out at least somewhere between the two.
November 15, 2023 @ 3:30 pm
I tried hard on the previous stuff and it only kind of clicked. There are a few truly outstanding cuts on this album and I think his composition and arrangements have improved dramatically as seen and heard specifically through the eyes and ears of someone who thinks Billy Joe’s The Earth Rolls On album was quintessential country production.
November 15, 2023 @ 4:20 pm
I hadn’t realized he’d trimmed down so much. Brother is lookin’ righteous
November 15, 2023 @ 8:47 pm
I dont really understand the Charley Crockett cover, not because its not a good song but because its not that much different from the original.
The album isnt what I was expecting but thats a good thing.
Ive also read he plays nothing off the 2nd album at the time I thought that was very strong so yes Id find that strange but then this record hes moved on again in sound that maybe thats why that song isnt represented in his set.
Hes made three records so far that Ive enjoyed, but you do have to catch up with him because so far hes gone off in a different direction on all three of them.
November 16, 2023 @ 4:56 am
I saw him the night his new album dropped and his set was awesome! He played a good mix of his old and new songs and it was an upbeat set. You could tell he was up there having a great time and very grateful for us all being there celebrating his release. The new songs added a cool vibe to his set. I’ll Meet You in Montana, Hang Your Head Down Low, and Time of the Rambler were awesome live. I loved his first album, couldn’t really get into his second, but am really digging his third.
November 18, 2023 @ 7:58 am
Well said, Trigger.
Would also love to hear your thoughts on Daniel Donato’s new album.