What started as a demo session with producer Bruce Robison at Robison’s studio, The Bunker outside Austin, TX turned into the first album Charlie Crockett has ever made with his band The Blue Drifters backing him from start to finish.
Having written or co-written all fourteen songs on the album, in many ways The Man From Waco is the purest distillation of Crockett's artistry to date. Mostly first takes with only a handful of overdubs, The Man From Waco finds him refining his singular “Gulf & Western” sound which continues to captivate an ever-growing legion of fans.
“I just wanted an honest partnership: do it at your place, live to tape, everybody in the room,” Crockett says of the recording experience, and Robison was happy to accommodate. “The magic is in the performances on that tape. That’s what Bruce wanted to do, that’s what I wanted to do. When we were done, I said ‘these are masters, not demos.’”
There’s a loose narrative thread that ties the album together, but at the center of The Man From Waco is Crockett, who continues to trust his instincts and carve out his own singular space. Eschewing the ever-growing siren song of major labels and GRAMMY-winning producers, Crockett is forging ahead as a mostly DIY artist, calling his own shots and giving himself the space to strive for greatness on his own terms.
“Everybody was telling me: ‘go right, go right, go right,’” says Crockett. “I went left. I had to hold on to what has gotten me this far.”
The Man From Waco will be in a record store near you on CD, vinyl, and an indie record store exclusive edition featuring alternate album artwork.