Wade Bowen announced new album Solid Ground. The Texas troubadour made the announcement in an understated fashion, changing his profile images to the new album's artwork and the words "New Album. Feb. 9th."
Though we don't know too many other details, we do know Keith Gattis produced the record. A Georgetown, Texas native, Gattis wears a whole bunch of hats, including songwriter, guitarist, artist and producer.
Gattis has songs with artists like Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Willie Nelson and Randy Rogers Band. He also has production credits with artists like Dwight Yoakam and Kendell Marvel.
Bowen released the album's first single Acuña back in early October. It's a bit of a love song to both the border town and a long lost love.
"Saying 'this is my Texas album' seems like an obvious statement from a guy who's sweated it out in as many beer halls as I have," Bowen says in a press release. "But Gattis pushed me harder on my writing than I'd ever been challenged before. Each morning, he and I got to the studio hours before the band to write, so the album's sound was unfolding organically as we were recording it, which unified the mood and grit of the whole thing."
The album artwork depicts the shape of Texas cracked into hard clay with hints of a state map. If anything, it's a symbolic representation of Bowen's rough-around-the-edges sound. Fans of Heartland rockers like John Mellencamp and Tom Petty feel as at home at Bowen shows as fans of country traditionalists like Willie Nelson.
Altogether, this marks the eleventh album since 2002 from the red dirt hero. He released Watch This with his pal Randy Rogers in June 2016. He also released a gospel album in 2016. But his last rockin' full record came in 2014, a self-titled effort that came after leaving his major label.
Bowen has select tour dates through 2017 and early 2018, but expect a whole new host of dates to support his new album in the near future.
