Gotta love an artist trying to stick it to The Man…
Charley Crockett’s latest album, Music City USA, is yet another piece of old-timey, Gulf country excellence that we’ve grown accustomed to over his career.
He’s obviously never been one to lean into what country music radio and record labels are pushing, and despite not having their backing, has carved out a heck of a space for himself in the independent country scene.
The title track is basically a conversation with a record label executive in which he immediately knows he doesn’t belong and shouldn’t have even tried.
“I shouldn’t have come here in the first place
Cause folks in here don’t like my kind
I hear they’ve got a lot of reasons
I think I see them on their signs
They’ve got a lot to say
In Music City USA”
A lot of artists like to pretend to be “Against The Man,” but when push comes to shove, they back down and let the machine take them wherever.
Not good ole Charley. He’s a man of principle and great outfits, which makes for a hell of a career.
“When I cobble it together and look back on it in reflection, it just looks like the path that I walked down.
And maybe mine is unusual for today. I’d say it’s highly unusual. To the point that people think it’s made up. The truth is, I’ve toned it down.”
Keep it up, big guy… you got a big fan here.