John Baumann
Screengrab via YouTube

Video Premiere: John Baumann Honors a Texas Icon With Robert Earl Keen's 'Love's a Word I Never Throw Around'

Texas country artist John Baumann celebrates a home state icon with his brand-new cover of Robert Earl Keen's "Love's a Word I Never Throw Around," premiering today via Wide Open Country.

"I'm not the first to say I am a huge Robert Earl Keen fan, so it goes without saying how awesome it was to take my own approach to one of his songs," Baumann says. "I think 'Love's a Word I Never Throw Around' is one of the finest love songs to date. It doesn't mince words, and reinforces the importance of the most powerful emotions humans have: love. We record this song in one take. I used a pawn shop nylon string that I couldn't sell for $20 on Craigslist. But that's the magic of the song. It's not about the bells and the whistles. It's about the song - the lyric, the emotion. I'll always be proud of the version we did."

Baumann cut the song for Bruce Robison's The Last Waltz, a record label and website featuring new singles and videos recorded at Robison's all-analog studio, the Bunker, in Lockhart, just outside of Austin.

Per his bio, Baumann earned accolades from fans and critics alike through his four studio albums: West Texas Vernacular (2012), High Plains Alchemy (2014), Departures (2015) and Proving Grounds (2017). The latter's standout track, "Old Stone Church," earned Baumann praise as a Texas troubadour on the rise.

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Baumann's songwriting chops got attention outside of the Texas country scene when one of Nashville's biggest stars, Kenny Chesney, cut one of Baumann's best songs, "Gulf Moon," for the 2018 album Songs For the Saints.

Such Texas country hotbeds as the Magnolia Motor Lounge in Fort Worth and the John T. Floore Country Store in Helotes highlight upcoming tour stops for an artist known well beyond the home front yet invested in a growing, eager fanbase across the Lone Star State. For a complete list of dates, visit Baumann's website.

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