The Underdog
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The violin, banjo, and lyrics that open Aaron Watson’s 12th album set a despairing tone. The song (“The Prayer”) then rises on a bed of drums and piano to a warm place that’s all reclamation. He’s writing like his hero Willie Nelson. Yes, Watson’s themes and musical tropes on this album are pure country, yet he manages to circumvent syrupy mannerisms. The acoustic heartbreaker “Bluebonnets” is about Watson’s daughter who died just after birth, and it’s painful ride with an optimistic undercurrent. Then the bluegrass-ish “Freight Train” and the rocking “Rodeo Queen” inject heavy doses of hoedown fun.
