Randy Houser photo by Danny Clinch, courtesy of Universal South.
The album covers a great deal of musical and thematic ground. Randy includes pure fun, rowdy, foot-stomping tracks like "Out Here in the Country" and "Whistlin’ Dixie," but also manages to capture the ups and downs of love on other tracks, demonstrating his artistic range. The naked need of "Addicted" calls forth a yearning that only Randy’s vocals could somberly deliver. The poignant look at love and longing that is "Here With Me" is a great compliment to the clever, rough-edged nod to love’s losers in "Lowdown and Lonesome." "A Man Like Me," with its straight-ahead country approach and lyrics steeped in love and gratitude, is heavily reminiscent of the best of Don Williams and Randy Travis and serves as Randy’s new single from the release.
While these songs are a fantastic representation of Randy’s songwriting prowess, the remaining songs on the project complete this impressive collection and prove why Randy deserves to stand out among his peers. He excels on the blues-drenched "Somewhere South Of Memphis" and the pure gospel loveliness of "Lead Me Home," a song that explores, with grace and wonder, the end of the human journey. Both songs let him stretch vocally, and together they offer a stunning example of the scope and quality of his work.
Showcasing his classic country side, "If I Could Buy Me Some Time" responds to the roller coaster life of a touring musician, while, with its weepy steel resonance and its anguished introspection, Randy truly shines on "Will I Always Be This Way."
Overall, the mix of moods and topics is the project’s appeal. "I wanted the flow to carry you up for a bit so you could have fun," Randy adds, "and then I wanted it to come back down to where you really had to listen."
The album’s title song is a nod to Randy’s nickname. "My buddy Dallas Davidson is the one who came up with that," he says with a grin. "That’s my identity to my friends around here. It has to do with being relaxed and laid back and comfortable. I guess I’m comfortable in my own skin and when you think about Cadillacs, that’s what they are—big and comfortable."
They Call Me Cadillac is an album that proves why Randy is among the most talented of his generation and of crucial importance to the genre. With the help of his good friends and collaborators Jamey Johnson and Jerrod Niemann, he has brought a needed dose of rugged individualism to the airwaves. Together they form the core of a group of modern-day artists who live and breathe country music – road warriors who lay aside formulaic notions of commercialism and appeal to audiences with respect to traditionalism and their individual passions.
"We’re just doing what we do. We don’t strive to be something we’re not. We would be unhappy just following the status quo. If you don’t really dig into yourself you’re never going to separate yourself from the pack, so why not do it how you want to? We’re just people who do it our own way."
