Willie Watson (USA)
Soon before turning 18, Willie Watson met God—or at least a man named Ruby Love—in an apple orchard. Ruby carried a big Martin guitar and a bigger knowledge of American folk songs. That night, singing ‘Worried Man Blues’ and ‘Tennessee Waltz,’ Watson cried for the first time while singing, realising music could help make sense of life. He never saw Ruby again, but soon after formed Old Crow Medicine Show.
Now, more than 25 years later, Watson delivers ‘Willie Watson’, his first true album of original songs after two ‘Folk Singer’ records of traditionals. At 44, his exquisite rural tenor carries stories of heartbreak, hurt, and hope, framed by producers Kenneth Pattengale and Gabe Witcher with an intuitive band including Paul Kowert, Dylan Day, Jason Boesel, and Sami Braman.
The nine songs reckon with memory and change. ‘Slim and the Devil,’ adapted from Sterling A. Brown, confronts history and endurance; ‘Already Gone’ surveys the wreckage of choices; ‘Real Love’ recalls fragile first romance. Sobriety, fatherhood, and loss pushed Watson beyond mere interpretation toward honesty and growth.
No longer “the nice little singer in the cowboy hat,” Willie Watson arrives as a songwriter of depth, offering songs where others can find themselves too.