Wade Bowen Announces New Album “Solid Ground”
Texas music stalwart Wade Bowen will release his latest record called Solid Ground via Thirty Tigers on February 9th, 2018. Produced by songwriter and guitar player Keith Gattis, it will be Bowen’s first proper full-blown release of original music since his 2014 self-titled record. Bowen also released the gospel record Then Sings My Soul: Songs for My Mother in 2016, as well as the collaboration with Randy Rogers Hold My Beer: Vol. 1 in 2015.
“Saying ‘this is my Texas album’ seems like an obvious statement from a guy who’s sweated it out in as many beer halls as I have…but Gattis pushed me harder on my writing than I’d ever been challenged before,” says Bowen. “Each morning, he and I got to the studio hours before the band to write, so the album’s sound was unfolding organically as we were recording it which unified the mood and grit of the whole thing.”
The cover of the record shows the imprint of the State of Texas impacting into a bigger map of Texas in the background. Like many Texas music artists, Wade Bowen once tried his hand at Nashville and recorded for BNA Records, but since has embraced his place as one of Texas music’s mainstays.
Bowen released the first single from the album back in October called “Acuña.” A lamenting tune about the disappearance of places from his past like Texas dance halls and cool Mexican border spots, “Acuña” is quintessential Wade Bowen Texas country rock.
“I went to college in Lubbock, TX, and every September we used to drive all the way from Lubbock down to south Texas … to the Frio River, down to Del Rio and cross the border to Acuña,” Wade says. “This is kind where all that came from, talking about my roots. This is my glory days song I guess, with a different twist.”
Wade will be playing select dates with Randy Rogers and Kip Moore on the “Tall Tales and the Truth” tour in December, and then will be making his annual appearances at The Music Fest in Steamboat Springs, CO in early January, 2018.
November 24, 2017 @ 1:16 pm
Don’t forget the live record with Randy Rogers “Watch This” from 2016. Really like “Acuna” and I’m really looking forward to this album dropping six days after Mike & The Moonpies new release.
November 24, 2017 @ 3:55 pm
Good
November 24, 2017 @ 4:26 pm
When I was a kid, it was called Viacuna….. it was a fun place for kids since no one asked how old you were. If you had money you got whatever you were looking for. 😉
Last time I went I come down with tonsillitis on the way home, which was only mildly less comfortable than the last time I went to Juarez and hemorrhoids flared up on the way home :(…..LOL brings back lots of *old* memories hearing about it.
November 24, 2017 @ 5:04 pm
Wade is a douche bag.
November 24, 2017 @ 5:29 pm
Douchiest comment in the comments section right there ^
November 26, 2017 @ 6:11 am
Says a guy named Spoony…
November 26, 2017 @ 11:36 am
Quite the comeback. More douchiness.
November 25, 2017 @ 6:02 am
Would you care to expand on this?
November 25, 2017 @ 9:57 am
Pretty much everything out there contradicts your statement. Are you Granger Smith’s drummer, or something?
November 24, 2017 @ 5:41 pm
He should unite with Midland next for the “we play beer halls. really, we’re popular now but we have played beer halls tour.”
November 24, 2017 @ 7:19 pm
An appropriate
Response to this news might be
Something like this: “YES!”
November 24, 2017 @ 9:32 pm
decent standard rock song. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but a little disappointing in this context.
November 25, 2017 @ 12:24 am
I mean, I know the description of the cover was to illustrate the importance of Texas to Wade and this album, but I appreciated the description of it. As a blind person, it used to go over my head a lot why people focus so much on album covers in say, comments sections, but I’ve come to understand what a good one can add, and I appreciate that detail being included. Anyway, I am looking forward to new music from Wade, and hopefully there’s a Hold my Beer Volume 2 coming as well.
November 25, 2017 @ 12:45 am
I like the groove of this ..the overall vibe ….I’m a fan of Wade’s vocals .
This particular song wanders around a bit much for my liking . Title doesn’t happen until 1:30 in and if I hadn’t read it I’m not sure I’d have known it . Dynamically it never lets up …too much everything all the time..everything but a strong hook . If the B3 had been replaced with a steel guitar I think we’d have really had a nice POCO-sounding country rock kinda thing but as it is there’s not much country going on .
Yada yada yada ….that’s just my 2 and a half cents and it means dick-all but Trigger gives us a forum so I’m using it . I’d still listen to this tune over the shit on ‘ country’ radio .
November 25, 2017 @ 2:21 am
Well…sounds like the not-so-good half of the songs on the Texas Regional Radio Report charts. “Acuna” is up to #9 after only 6 weeks. A massive hit for Wade Bowen.
I don’t mind the lyrics but the music/production is unremarkable. Hope the album will be better.
My Current Texas Playlist:
Dustin Sonnier – “Neither Do I”
Richard Lynch – “Cut & Paste”
Kenna Danielle – “I-35 Reasons”
Jesse Raub Jr – “Runaway Train”
Jake Worthington – “Hell Of A Highway”
Clay Hollis – “Look Who’s Hurting Now”
Aaron Copeland – “Rain”
Adrian Johnston feat. Jordon Isaac – “Damn, I Want A Love Like That”
Jordon Isaac – “Wanderers”
Josh Ward – “You Don’t Have To Be Lonely” (& pretty much all other Josh Ward songs)
November 27, 2017 @ 12:08 pm
Listened to everything on this list. With the exception of Josh Ward, it was pretty faceless and boring stuff. But to each his own. The songs just weren’t there for me.
November 25, 2017 @ 5:52 am
I am probably the least spiritual person l know but l loved his “Then Sings My Soul” album. Really hoping for a “Hold My Beer Part 2” too.
November 29, 2017 @ 7:56 am
Ditto on the above.
November 25, 2017 @ 9:58 am
This is really poorly produced. I hope the album sounds better than this. Decent song, and Wade Bowen is probably my favorite Red Dirt artist, so I’m thrilled to hear of the new record.
November 25, 2017 @ 3:40 pm
You guys ever been to a bikini bar? I know great one in Norco, CA called Hard hats. Country music and girls. Cowboys invited.
November 26, 2017 @ 4:39 pm
I don’t know. I’m probably in the minority but I saw him live a few months back and he was just okay. His band sounded like any band on 6th Street on a Thursday night. I just don’t get the fuss. Maybe I’m missing something.