By Joshua Wallace

If you’re a fan of sad country songs with thick pedal steel, this album is for you.  Erin Enderlin has issued her follow up to 2017’s amazing Whiskeytown Crier with Faulkner County.  This album picks up where that left off with some of the saddest country songs you’ll hear all year.  The pedal steel is thick throughout this record with tracks with Dan Dugmore, Paul Franklin, and Smith Curry handling the instrument throughout the record.  Let’s dig into some of these tracks.

One of my favorites is the track “Whatever Gets You Through The Night”.  I dig the smooth jazz sounds on this one as Erin Enderlin goes through all the different ways you can try to get through a rough night.  I love the way the piano plays with the pedal steel here. If you’re looking for more great piano licks, look no further than “The Queen Of Marina Del Rey”.  It’s a song about a woman trying to make it famous out in L.A. and struggling to do so. It’s a great tune and I dig the guitar solo on this one. One thing to note, there is a track “Till It’s Gone” that repeats from the Whiskeytown Crier album.  It appears to be a re-recorded version of the original with a shorter run time. It’s a good inclusion here though as it does fit with the overall sound of this album.

Who doesn’t love a good trucking song?  “A Man With 18 Wheels” provides just that but from the truck driver’s wife or significant other’s perspective.  I love the line in this one that says “His home away from home is in the house that Peterbilt”. Another favorite is “These Boots”.  This version is listed as the “Full Band Version”. An earlier cut of the track was released as a single in 2018. This version is smoother and the acoustics fit in with the album as a whole better.  Finally, “Old Flames (Can’t Hold A Candle To You)” is a twist on the traditional country music cheating song in that it’s about not cheating. You don’t hear songs like this often enough and I’m happy to hear it here.

This album was released as several EPs throughout the year, but I’m glad to have it as a whole.  The entire package makes sense as you can imagine these songs being about characters living in or being from a small rural county called Faulkner County.  I’ve been a big fan of Erin Enderlin since her 2017 record Whiskeytown Crier and this one doesn’t disappoint. Jim “Moose” Brown & Jamey Johnson returned to produce this new effort and you can definitely hear their influence on the sound here.  If you’re looking for a great traditional country record in 2019, look no further than Erin Enderlin’s Faulkner County which is out November 1st, 2019.

Favorite Tracks : Whatever Gets You Through The Night, The Queen Of Marina Del Rey, A Man With 18 Wheels, These Boots, Old Flames (Can’t Hold A Candle To You)

Erin Enderlin – Faulkner County (2019)

  1. I Can Be Your Whiskey
  2. Whatever Gets You Through The Night
  3. The Queen Of Marina Del Rey
  4. Tonight I Don’t Give A Damn
  5. Use Me Again
  6. Broken
  7. Hell Comin’ Down
  8. A Man With 18 Wheels
  9. Hometown Jersey
  10. Till It’s Gone
  11. These Boots (Full Band Version)
  12. Old Flames (Can’t Hold A Candle To You)
  13. Sweet Emmylou
  14. Run Baby Run
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