Joshua Ray Walker Ain’t Dead Yet
On this Friday, May 29th, Joshua Ray Walker delivers his new album, Ain’t Dead Yet, produced by John Pedigo and released via Thirty Tigers and East Dallas Records. The record is at once full of romp and raucous energy and deeply introspective, evoking the best of 1970s outlaw country against the backdrop of Walker’s personal battle with cancer.
On the title track that opens the album, “Ain’t Dead Yet,” Joshua speaks openly about his fight against cancer and the hope that pushes him to hold on:
“Never lived life to impress
Worked myself about half to death
Long as my lungs are filled with breath
Then I ain’t dead yet”
The following song, “Shoot Me Straight,” is the peak of the album. Built around a powerful horn section, reminiscent of the golden age of Memphis soul—played by Daryl Bailey Jr. on trumpet, Reggie “Tbone” Terrell on trombone, and Andrew Garfias on saxophone—the singer demands to be told the truth without embellishment.“I want to know the bad news before the good news,” explains Walker. “Don’t sugar coat it for me. I want to know the problem, so I can figure out how to fix it. That’s what this song is about. Whether it’s my career, personal relationships, or my health, I just want you to shoot me straight.”
On the song “Outlaw,” the lineage tracing back to Waylon Jennings becomes immediately apparent, first and foremost in the instrumentation itself, particularly the phaser-drenched guitar intertwined with the pedal steel of Adam “Ditch” Kurtz. Joshua plays with the mythology of the outlaw cowboy:
“Every hat’s a cowboy hat
If it’s sitting on my head
Just like every girl’s a cowgirl
If she’s laying in my bed.”
Ain’t Dead Yet stands as one of the most interesting country releases of the year, confirming Joshua Ray Walker as one of the genre’s most compelling contemporary voices. Blending raw energy, dark humor, and introspection, the album captures both the fragility and stubborn resilience of a man who has looked mortality in the eye and kept moving forward.
Joshua Ray Walker is currently on tour, catch him on the road.
https://www.joshuaraywalker.com/
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Joshua Ray Walker “Stuff”
Musicians on the album are Joshua Ray Walker on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and lead vocals; Trey Pendergrass on drums; Pete Miller on bass; Adam “Ditch” Kurtz on pedal steel; Chad Stockslager on keys; John Pedigo on background vocals, auxiliary percussion and banjo; Milo Deering on mandolin, dobro, viola, fiddle, pedal steel (tracks 1, 2 & 10); Heather Stalling on fiddle (track 5); Brendan Gilman on electric guitar (track 8); Daryl Bailey Jr. on trumpet; Reggie “Tbone” Terrell on trombone; and Andrew Garfias on saxophone.