Red Shahan made an impressive debut in 2015 with the dusty, spare
Men & Coyotes, but that record seems like a mere dry run for his 2018 sequel,
Culberson County. As wide and expansive as a Texas horizon,
Culberson County is simultaneously tougher and spacier than its predecessor, finding
Shahan cranking up amplifiers so the guitars grind and echo. Whether he's laying down a bit of old-fashioned boogie -- as he does on the album's opener, "Waterbill" -- or picking out a ballad so the notes careen around in the sky, the flinty yet sumptuous production provides an ideal soundscape for
Shahan's songs. He's got a way with turns of phrases that are plainspoken but clever, a skill that enlivens his tales of West Texas. Close listening reveals his sharp song construction, but
Culberson County is a pure pleasure as sheer music.
Shahan and his band -- led by guitarist
Elijah Ford, who doubles as a producer -- not only can rock and chill out, they have a knack for soul ("Idle Hands"), barrooom shuffles ("Roses"), and blues ("6 Feet"), and sound convincing when they're stirring up the ghosts of '90s alt-rock to give their music an extra dose of spookiness. All of this combined turns
Culberson County into an impressive -- and addictive -- statement of purpose from
Red Shahan.