#510.2 (Honky Tonk), #550.5 (Tejano/Mexican-inspired Nation), and #569 (Cajun-inspired Nation) on the Nation DDS.
One of many causes that Texas music presents such a wealthy and vibrant sound is because of the way it sits as a crossroads, each culturally and geographically—most notably with Mexico on its southern border, and French Cajun influences to the east in Louisiana. On his new album El Cabrón, singer and performer Pug Johnson explores these regional dialects and their intertwined nature, leading to tasty and typically sudden moments that has many buzzing about their subsequent favourite artist.
It’s not unusual for a Texas nation album to incorporate a Tejano-flavored monitor or a enjoyable little little Cajun tune. However for Pug Johnson, he begins with these influences as major substances, together with conventional nation as properly, with some songs working solely in a single type, and others mixing all three. Horns and accordion assist accommodate this in locations, whereas nation sounds set the first basis.
Then relating to the songwriting, Pug institutes character research into a number of fascinating and infrequently greasy people one may work together with within the late evening bar scene. This features a gringo crossing over the border to appeal the señoritas out from underneath the locals, a man who will get within the doghouse for visiting a cat home, and a dude who should compel his date to blow into his breathalyzer to take her house. It’s assumed a few of these songs aren’t autobiographical, although some might be based mostly off of precise characters or occasions.
In the meantime, the music helps evoke the setting for these escapades, drawing from Pug’s upbringing in Beaumont, Texas, which could as properly be Louisiana to many. If you hear a track like “Purchase Me a Bayou,” it’s not laborious to know the inspiration. However Pug makes use of the complete geography of the Lone Star State, evoking the humorous identify of the north Texas city “Waxahachie” at one level, and in addition referencing the border city of Ciudad Acuña, recognized for it’s legendary evening life.
Pug Johnson actually presents a particular listening expertise with El Cabrón, and avoids the well-worn grooves of conventional nation and Texas music alongside the best way. You’re not going to seek out many information with the ambitiousness of this one to combine influences collectively so aggressively, nor the personnel to tug it off like Pug and his collaborators have achieved right here. Johnson co-produced the album with Ryan Johnson and Paul Walker.
However there’s a shticky form of really feel to this album, whereas the songwriting typically fails to go deeper than the floor. Not like Charley Crockett who additionally blends roots genres, there’s much less of a synthesis of assorted influences right here, and extra a layering of them on prime of one another. Charley Crockett is a personality too versus an genuine illustration, however he’s extra simply capable of get you to droop disbelief. For Pug Johnson, the shifts in sound and singing type are sometimes so abrupt, it’s simpler to spy the slight-of-hand behind them.
Arguably the very best track on the album, and the one with probably the most streams up to now is “Believer.” It maybe exhibits off the compelling contours of Pug’s vocal supply the very best out of the whole set. Nevertheless it’s additionally this easy, R&B-style track that doesn’t actually jive with the remainder of the album, or the theme of exploring the musical influences of Texas. When you choose any particular person track from El Cabrón, you’re prone to take pleasure in it. However as an album, it finally lends to extra questions than solutions about who Pug Johnson is as an artist.
With the track “Believer” particularly, you’ll be able to see him making that predictable R&B shift we’ve seen so many nation and Americana performers make over time. However then you definately hearken to the straight nation songs like “Gap In Me” and “Pipeliner Blues” and you are feeling such as you’ve discovered your subsequent favourite nation artist. The following to final track “Change Myself In the present day” exhibits a depth to Pug’s songwriting that the remainder of the album fails for instance.
Pug Johnson continues to be a younger artist, with ample alternatives to reply a number of the questions El Cabrón presents, whereas additionally opening up numerous sonic avenues he might pursue to take action. There additionally occurs to be some actually nice songs on this album. Maybe similar to Texas, Pug Johnson’s is simply too huge, and too various to pin down in a easy notion.
8/10
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