I am still laboring feverishly to catch up on everything while continuing to maintain all of the things that I wanted to touch on this year as well. So you can easily tell right away that I have absolute madness going on over here and ice…lots of ice. And it is not ice that goes into the whiskey that albums like this one talk about. After this album here you will get to know Wesley Hanna more than ever cause he shares much of life story here.
I found him back in late 2021 when I was looking for new music and I found Brand New Love Potion and the cover grabbed me because it was marketed to look like Shiner bock which is a logo that most brains in my music scene immediately identify with.
This album here is absolutely amazing in every way folks, and I mean that in many ways. The song Life in Three Quarter Time is a vividly painted picture in my own mind of the story being told here, and in essence this album is sort of a concept album if you will. All the songs intertwine into his overall mission here, and he brought some heavy hitters with him to bust your face in.
IN FACT AS I WRITE THIS I am watching Cody Braun with his own band Reckless Kelly on video from Steamboat Musicfest because I have some upcoming articles on that one. He is featured on fiddle here along with the powerful Lloyd Maines on well….everything really. But see you take the song 7 Days In Ireland and you get songs like Thomas B. O’Hara. There is a good line in that song that grabbed me. So here is the all of the info;
Magnolia – it’s all about his roots. Wesley Hanna, whose family settled in the little town of Magnolia, Texas in the early 1900s, is drawing inspiration for his songs like the roots of those tall pines in the red dirt clay the town sits on. Prior to venturing out to the oilfields of West Texas and later moving to Fort Worth, Wesley spent his formative years in Southeast Texas. The writing is steeped in nostalgia, drawing the listener to a different time and place.
While albums are not as common in today’s music industry, this one truly is a collection of songs that are bonded together in some form or fashion. Whether it’s where he came from, family trials and triumphs, or inspiration from the songs of his youth, Wesley weaves a basket of meaningful lyrics with real deal country music sounds. The cover of the album is steeped in symbolism. Wesley lived in Sargent, Texas in the Gulf prairie until he was six with a giant magnolia tree in the front yard. He and his brother spent a lot of time climbing up and down that tree. His grandmother would paint and often created pieces with stained glass. The Magnolia train depot had a sign that displayed “Houston 43 Miles” & “Fort Worth 205 Miles” on either side of the town’s name. You see that all come together before you even open the record.
He calls upon the help of both friends and heroes to bring these songs to life. Behind the board and helping out on the drum kit is veteran producer and engineer Pat Manske. Legendary guitarist Scrappy Jud Newcomb directs the melody and renowned session drummer Conrad Choucroun keeps the beat, while fellow band mates Stacie Hanna (upright bass) and Michael Durkan (fiddle) bring their talents to the mix. Then you have a who’s-who of Americana artists and players like Cody Braun, Courtney Patton, Lloyd Maines, and Pablo Trujillo joining them. The result is a musical journey that gives us a glimpse of the artist’s journey that brought him here.
Wesley also credits influences from songwriters like Rodney Crowell, Adam Carroll, Clint Black, and Hayes Carll that drew a lot of inspiration from that region of Texas. There’s also the undeniable influence of the traditional resurgence in country music of the late 1900s that was playing on the radio during his formative years. When you plug your earbuds in or turn up your stereo system, do yourself a favor and listen to this collection of songs that were crafted by 1-2 writer(s) rather than a committee in Nashville. You’ll thank me later.
1. Gulf Prairie Blues 3:02
2. Life in Three Quarter Time 4:20
3. This Old Guitar 3:03
4. Thomas B. O’Hara 4:34
5. Magnolia 3:57
6. The Right Thing 3:30
7. Unkept Leather 3:20
8. Harvey’s Landfall 3:08
9. Behind the Pine Curtain 3:23
10. Forever Kind of Love 3:43
11. Magnolia (Charlie’s Version) 4:38
All Songs FCC Clean
Album Creds:
Cody Braun – Fiddle (Side A)
Conrad Chouchron – Drums (Side B), Electric Bass (Track 9)
Courtney Patton – Duet Vocals (Track 2), Harmony Vocals
Lloyd Maines – Dobro
Michael Durkan – Fiddle (Side B)
Pablo Trujillo – Pedal Steel Guitar
Pat Manske – Drums (Side A)
Riley Gilbreath – Banjo, Harmony Vocals (Track 11)
Scrappy Jud Newcomb – Electric Guitar, Mandolin, Nylon-String Guitar, Resonator Guitar
Stacie Hanna – Upright Bass
Wesley Hanna – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Barroom Choir (Track 4): Conner Hanna, Courtney Patton, Jake Morris, Stacie Hanna
Tracks 1-10 recorded at the Zone Recording Studio, Dripping Springs, TX
Engineered by Pat Manske
Track 11 recorded at Melody Mountain Recording Studio, Stephenville, TX
Engineered by Ben Hussey, Jack Pirtle
Produced by Pat Manske
Side A Co-Produced by Scrappy Jud Newcomb
Mixed and Mastered by Pat Manske at the Zone Recording Studio, Dripping Springs, TX
Artwork by Stacie Hanna
