Braxton Keith Announces New Album 'Real Damn Deal'
(The GreenRoom) In the midst of a steep career climb, Braxton Keith hits a target many aim for, and few reach -- making classic country sound fresh, which he achieves with the release of REAL DAMN DEAL, out May 15 via Warner Records Nashville.
Choosing that straight-talking declaration for the name of his debut album, the Texas native showcases a little of every classic country flavor found under the neon with the album's 15 tracks, 10 of which he co-penned. Each is delivered with Keith's crisp, high-and-lonesome vocal twang, as he glides from one dancehall theme to the next.
Whether it's the reckless abandon of young love or the reflective pain of a good thing gone to waste, his passion for pure-country expression is boundless. Fans can pre-save the album or pre-order a copy here and pre-order the Amazon exclusive vinyl that features Keith's cover of George Strait's" The Chair" as a bonus track here (ad) .
"I shot down the idea of this album title when it was first brought up," shares Keith. "It felt cocky, and that's not who I am. But, everyone is in on country music right now, so why not use it as a big flashing reminder that country music is cool? This album is my way of taking country music back to what it was...the real damn deal."
With the wind firmly at his back, the upcoming album produced by Alex Torrez and David Dorn traces a circle around the whole of country tradition-hot Texas honky-tonk and joyful Western swing. Epic midnight balladry, and two-step anthems lost in head-spinning romance. The ache of a cowboy with a full glass, but an empty barstool beside him. Featuring a rush of confidence (and a swaggering hook best described as deliciously rebellious), "Real Damn Deal" sets the tone, opening the set with a shuffling trad-country beat and twinkling keys.
The intricate "Mrs. Green" is a gentle roots proposition co-written by "King of Americana" Jim Lauderdale with Bob Minner. Keith tips his hat to the lyrical brilliance of Roger Miller on the Hall of Famer's aching "Am I All Alone (Or Is It Only Me)," and tracks like the desolate "Hurt By Heart" featuring Mae Estes captures a pair of wounded souls in the throws of agony, both feeling the pain in their own way. "That's How Hearts Get Broken" turns a beer-soaked roadhouse romance into an instant-classic hookup anthem, and in the quiet, border-town stillness of "Always Leaving Something," Keith keeps a stiff upper lip, even as he's left in the dust. Emptiness gets a soundtrack with the saccharine "White Walls," an everything-goes lament rising to epic levels of ain't-over-it angst. And while "Don't No More" staggers under the weight of a crushing heartache with a pounding Red Dirt heart, the wistful ballad captures the timeless draw of better days-days which once were great, but now exist only in memory.
Today, Keith brings the 90's alive with the richly textured romp "Little Bit by Little Bit," available HERE. The track follows a run of unbridled first singles from REAL DAMN DEAL, including "I Ain't Tryin,'" which drew praise for Keith as "the perfect cowboy casanova [that] does not miss" (Whiskey Riff) and barstool anthem "I Own This Bar," noted for its "clever lyricism, honky-tonk charm, and the authenticity that Keith brings" that "stand out in a crowded country landscape" (All Country News).
"We've been writing for a long time for this," adds Keith. "I wanted it to be a nostalgic, classic sounding record and to showcase a little bit of everything-as country as we could make it in every way, shape and form. I'm really proud of it."
REAL DAMN DEAL Track List:
1. Real Damn Deal
Written by Braxton Keith, Brice Long, Paul Sikes
2. I Ain't Tryin'
Written by Brice Long, Will Jones, Carson Peters
3. Mrs. Green
Written by Jim Lauderdale, Bob Minner
4. That's How Hearts Get Broken
Written by Liz Rose, Morgane Hayes, Chris Stapleton
5. I Dreamed You Dreamed of Me
Written by Braxton Keith, Dan Isbell, Brice Long
6. White Walls
Written by Braxton Keith, John Pierce
7. Always Leaving Something
Written by Jessie Jo Dillon, James Melton, Clint Daniels
8. Hurt By Heart (with Mae Estes)
Written by Braxton Keith, Trent Tomlinson, Scotty Emerick
9. Don't No More
Written by Braxton Keith, Liz Rose, John Pierce
10. Little Bit by Little Bit
Written by Braxton Keith, Liz Rose, Phil O'Donnell
11. Am I All Alone (Or Is It Only Me)
Written by Roger Miller
12. I Own This Bar
Written by Braxton Keith, Liz Rose, Phil O'Donnell
13. Wind Blows
Written by Braxton Keith, Tony Lane, Brice Long
14. Prescription
Written by Braxton Keith, Randy Montana, John Pierce
15. Baby You Do
Written by Braxton Keith, Brandon Kinney, Josh Thompson, Wynn Varble
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
[an error occurred while processing this directive]