Great Album: Turnpike Troubadours – Turnpike Troubadours

Turnpike Troubadours is an American Red Dirt group from Oklahoma composed of Evan Felker, R.C. Edwards, Kyle Nix, Ryan Engelman and Gabe Pearson.

They released their fourth album in 2015, their eponymous, Turnpike Troubadours. I’ve listened to it a lot the last two and a half months. This is great country-rock about loss, love and life. They sing “story songs” much like Springsteen, Zevon and Prine.

Turnpike Troubadours – The Bird Hunters (live, 2015):

The stories, Evan Felker’s vocals, and the on great musicianship combine into something very special. They tackle rocking tunes or sad slow ballads impressivly. This is down-to-earth Americana, proving you can do things your own way and do it successfully. It’s an album that deserves to be on many year-end lists.

…and by the way, John Fullbright, Byron Berline and Thomas Trapp guests.

Turnpike Troubadours – Down Here on The Texas Music Scene(with short  intro by the band):

You can look at The Turnpike Troubadours as an ass kicking live band, or you can look at them as a band behind a singer songwriter that happens to have some ass kicking songs. Their melodies could rise a little bit more. They could shorten some of their songs, or contemporize the instrumentation. This is surely what they would hear if they sailed their ship for Nashville looking for a larger slice. But they refuse to tinker with what has led them here. You get the sense they would rather quit than let down their long-term fans, or themselves. It’s still the same guys, and mostly the same sound. They remain the Turnpike Troubadours. And their destiny and prospects are better off for it.
– Saving Country Music

The Turnpike Troubadours Backstage Interview on 2015 Self-Titled Album:

– Hallgeir