Clovis

<b>One of country’s most ambitious artists takes inspiration from his heroes.</b> Charley Crockett proves that quality and quantity can co-exist, as the velvet-voiced singer-songwriter has now dropped 17 albums since releasing his full-length debut <i>A Stolen Jewel</i> in 2015. Such ambitious output would result in a fair amount of filler from many artists, but Crockett seems to approach making music with such curiosity and openness that he still manages to find new sounds and stories. <i>Clovis</i> takes its inspiration from a New Mexico town of the same name, home to the famed Norman Petty Recording Studios, where greats like Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings once recorded some of the very music that shaped Crockett’s own artistry. Recording there alongside long-time collaborator (and Jennings’ son) Shooter Jennings, Crockett finds echoes between past and present, like on opening track <b>“The Hallelujah Trail”</b>, where the ghosts of Comanche warriors and outlaw riders still haunt the unforgiving New Mexico desert. <b>“Eagle and the Crow”</b> takes a droning verse and drowns it in fuzz, with Crockett’s gruff vocals betraying the “laidback” image his character constructs. The record comes full circle with closing track <b>“Waylon Rides Again”</b>, a groovy tribute to the elder Jennings made all the more meaningful by Shooter’s sonic touch.