Blessed or Damned
On his second to-the-bone outing, Texan Dale Watson continues his crusade for the resuscitation of the spirits of the sleeping (or ignored) legends of classic C&W. Watson possesses a resonant, honeyed-baritone vocal instrument and seems most at home in early Merle Haggard-styled turf. But this singer-songwriter can also dial up Buck Owens, Faron Young, and countless other titans of the genre without breaking a sweat.
All 14 tracks on Blessed Or Damned were either written or co-written by Watson, but only a fanatic with an encyclopedic memory could swear to it. This cat is the real deal, in spades. A Real Country Song bemoans Nash-rock's desolate radio landscape with inspiring name-checks, and the rest of Watson's tunes swing, weep, two-step, and/or soar with similar, unquestionable commitment.
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