Throw away any preconceived notions you might have about country singers — especially ones from Texas — because Stoney LaRue smashes them all. Over a nearly 20-year career, the Lone Star-born and Oklahoma-raised LaRue has transformed himself into an unlikely Renaissance man. He is a deft songwriter, informed traveler and self-aware philosopher, a troubadour who converses just as easily about Indian yogis and gurus as he does about Texas barbecue and dance halls. LaRue highlights all facets of his complex persona on the inspiring new album Onward.
Before there can be redemption, though, there must be a conflict, and LaRue dives into that head-first in the album opener “Fallin’ and Flyin’.” One of 10 songs co-written by Onward’s producer Gary Nicholson, the track was famously performed by Jeff Bridges in the 2009 country music drama Crazy Heart. In LaRue’s hands, it’s a humble admission, part of his journey toward self-improvement. “I never meant to hurt no one/I just had to have my way/if there’s such a thing as too much fun/this must be the price you pay,” he sings.
Forging connections with his fans is paramount for LaRue, who plays more than 200 live shows a year. His base is a fiercely loyal one, and not just within the Red Dirt region. He regularly tours throughout the entire country and has fans in some unexpected places. Chalk up his mass appeal to the way he sells his songs both onstage and on record — to listen to LaRue sing the nostalgic, Bob Seger-esque “Drowning in Moonlight” on Onward is to hear someone with whom you share an experience.
While the bulk of Onward exists in that musical sweet spot of rock and twang for which LaRue has become known, a pair of songs evokes a more Dixieland vibe. “Evil Angel,” featuring the magnificent McCrary Sisters on gospel vocals, is a jaunty barroom piano sing-along, and “Worry Be Gone” — a Nicholson song written with Guy Clark and Lee Roy Parnell — is a New Orleans ode to saying to hell with it all and sparking one up. “We got trouble with the air, we got trouble with the water/ and people ain’t treating one another like they oughta/give me just one more puff of that worry be gone,” LaRue sings.
For LaRue, who has sold more than one million albums and singles in his career, fun means being on the road and playing live, tapping into a vast catalogue that includes influential LPs like 2005’s The Red Dirt Album and his exhilarating 2007 live document Live at Billy Bob’s Texas. Now, he’s excited about taking Onward to fans around the country and reminding them that not only is he still here, he isn’t going anywhere.
“You have to be willing to live it. That’s the only way to make it, and the way that I’ve made it,” says LaRue of his remarkable longevity. “But I’m not haphazard in what I’m writing or singing anymore. I’m more focused and looking ahead to what I want to achieve.”
In other words, Stoney LaRue is looking Onward.
Before there can be redemption, though, there must be a conflict, and LaRue dives into that head-first in the album opener “Fallin’ and Flyin’.” One of 10 songs co-written by Onward’s producer Gary Nicholson, the track was famously performed by Jeff Bridges in the 2009 country music drama Crazy Heart. In LaRue’s hands, it’s a humble admission, part of his journey toward self-improvement. “I never meant to hurt no one/I just had to have my way/if there’s such a thing as too much fun/this must be the price you pay,” he sings.
Forging connections with his fans is paramount for LaRue, who plays more than 200 live shows a year. His base is a fiercely loyal one, and not just within the Red Dirt region. He regularly tours throughout the entire country and has fans in some unexpected places. Chalk up his mass appeal to the way he sells his songs both onstage and on record — to listen to LaRue sing the nostalgic, Bob Seger-esque “Drowning in Moonlight” on Onward is to hear someone with whom you share an experience.
While the bulk of Onward exists in that musical sweet spot of rock and twang for which LaRue has become known, a pair of songs evokes a more Dixieland vibe. “Evil Angel,” featuring the magnificent McCrary Sisters on gospel vocals, is a jaunty barroom piano sing-along, and “Worry Be Gone” — a Nicholson song written with Guy Clark and Lee Roy Parnell — is a New Orleans ode to saying to hell with it all and sparking one up. “We got trouble with the air, we got trouble with the water/ and people ain’t treating one another like they oughta/give me just one more puff of that worry be gone,” LaRue sings.
For LaRue, who has sold more than one million albums and singles in his career, fun means being on the road and playing live, tapping into a vast catalogue that includes influential LPs like 2005’s The Red Dirt Album and his exhilarating 2007 live document Live at Billy Bob’s Texas. Now, he’s excited about taking Onward to fans around the country and reminding them that not only is he still here, he isn’t going anywhere.
“You have to be willing to live it. That’s the only way to make it, and the way that I’ve made it,” says LaRue of his remarkable longevity. “But I’m not haphazard in what I’m writing or singing anymore. I’m more focused and looking ahead to what I want to achieve.”
In other words, Stoney LaRue is looking Onward.
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