Get alerted when bands similar to Dale Watson perform.
Username Password First name Last name Email Address (No Spam)
  Dale Watson
Login to Edit Dale Watson's Profile


Dale Watson's website  
Average rating:
Your rating:
click to rateclick to rateclick to rateclick to rateclick to rateclick to rateclick to rateclick to rateclick to rateclick to rate
Add Faves:
Receive notification when this artist is playing in Austin!


 | Tag Genre  | Edit  |  + Review  |  + Photos  |  + Comments



Dale Watson's Bio:

Long inspired by country legends who endured tragedy and heartache+ Dale Watson received a double dose of both in 2000. Devastated after his fiancée died in a car crash in September+ Watson attempted suicide by drug overdose after Christmas and wound up committing himself to a mental health institution. After his release+ he wrote songs to confront his pain+ resulting in <I>Every Song I Write Is for You</I>+ a moving+ inspiring journey through past joys+ present pain+ and+ ultimately+ healing. Emotions of bereavement run through every number: sorrow ("I Can"t Let You Go")+ anger ("Our First Times and Our Last Times")+ sacrifice ("I"d Deal with the Devil")+ and acceptance ("I See Your Face in Every Face I See" and "These Things We"ll Never Do"). Misty+ atmospheric arrangements+ occasional jazzy rhythms+ and (synthesized) strings in the Billy Sherrill tradition frame each number to perfection. As mainstream Nashville leans on cotton-candy kid stuff to maintain eroding audiences+ Watson has not only regained his personal bearings+ he"s created a classic of staggering proportion+ a powerful reminder of what this music is <I>really</I> about. <I>--Rich Kienzle</I>
User:None

Dale Watson's Albums
Keep Texas Beautiful
Essential Dale Watson
Whiskey or God
Dreamland

Dale Watson Album Editorial:
Its Dale Watsons misfortune to flaunt a devotion to straight-no-chaser honky-tonk at a time when Nashville prefers its country with about as much kick as buttermilk. Indeed its tempting to imagine the response an album as solid and occasionally inspired as IDreamland would have received in the heyday of Merle Haggard and George Jones. With Asleep at the Wheels Ray Benson at the production helm Watsons hard edges are softened a bit on this 12-song collection but hes still got the perspective and pipes for putting across barroom laments that may be unsurpassed among his contemporaries. The conservational delivery of I Wish Youd Come Around and the masculine wistfulness of the title track are as stirring as they are effortless. Watson seems destined to haunt the fringes of country music where connoisseurs of hardcore honky-tonk gather to toast a master whos had the hard luck to come along a couple of decades too late to get his just rewards. Steven Stolder
Live in London...England!

Dale Watson Album Editorial:
This live recording presents retro-country singer-songwriter Dale Watson in his ideal element: a rowdy little honky-tonk albeit one in England rather than Texas. Watson performs his fine originals (such as the tender You Are My Friend) as well as classic country covers by Merle Haggard Webb Pierce Wynn Stewart Ray Price and Johnny Cash in a boozy croon. Meanwhile his Lonestars lay down a relaxed groove that cranks the twang. Predictably nearly a quarter of the nights set list is devoted to praising country musics past (Legends) or more often pummeling its present (Country My Ass Nashville Rash Real Country Song). Some listeners may find this a little off-putting but the crowd at Londons Borderline roars and sings its approval--the album was originally titled IPreachin to the Choir/as Watson repeatedly builds then topples his favorite straw man. And no wonder: Watson may be a musical reactionary but he still rocks--oops make that Itwangs/the house from beginning to end. David Cantwell
Best Of The Hightone Years

Dale Watson Album Editorial:
Dale Watson came of age a few decades too late. He looks and sings like a young Merle Haggard and even his name seems like that of an artist from a vintage honky-tonk jukebox. On this anthology of mid-90s recordings Watson sounds like he was born to a tradition rather than trying to revive anything. He surveys the field of truckin cheatin and drinkin songs while paying tribute to his favorite Austin bar (Honkiest Tonkiest Beer Joint) and Texas pit stop (Truckstop in La Grange). The catchiest song Caught borrows a couplet from noted roadhouse tunesmith Sir Walter Scott while Watsons stone-country baritone redeems even lesser material. Just listen to You Lie where he somehow stretches and twists the titles second word into 10 syllables. Don McLeese
Christmas Time in Texas
Every Song I Write Is for You

Dale Watson Album Editorial:
Long inspired by country legends who endured tragedy and heartache Dale Watson received a double dose of both in 2000. Devastated after his fiancée died in a car crash in September Watson attempted suicide by drug overdose after Christmas and wound up committing himself to a mental health institution. After his release he wrote songs to confront his pain resulting in IEvery Song I Write Is for You a moving inspiring journey through past joys present pain and ultimately healing. Emotions of bereavement run through every number: sorrow (I Cant Let You Go) anger (Our First Times and Our Last Times) sacrifice (Id Deal with the Devil) and acceptance (I See Your Face in Every Face I See and These Things Well Never Do). Misty atmospheric arrangements occasional jazzy rhythms and (synthesized) strings in the Billy Sherrill tradition frame each number to perfection. As mainstream Nashville leans on cotton-candy kid stuff to maintain eroding audiences Watson has not only regained his personal bearings hes created a classic of staggering proportion a powerful reminder of what this music is Ireally about. Rich Kienzle
People I&quot;ve Known Places
The Truckin&quot; Sessions

Dale Watson Album Editorial:
Dale Watson wears his roots on his sleeve and his music seems better off because of it. His Texas-via-Bakersfield honky-tonk shuffles swaggers and steams down the highway on this surging collection of 14 original driving songs. Once you get past the obvious comparisons to Buck Owens and especially Merle Haggard (in both timbre and phrasing) you realize that Watsons resonant fat baritone and his fluid Telecaster twang stand on their own considerable merits. Sure Big Wheels Keep Rollin may owe a debt to Hags White Line Fever and Exit 109 may remind one of Johnny Bonds Hot Rod Lincoln but these are compliments of a high order not dismissive remarks. Songs such as the ode to coffee Help Me Joe the slow-churning Drag Along Tag Along and the breakneck Im Fixin to Have Me a Breakdown show a deep absorption of the hardcore Bakersfield honky-tonk style. Much of the credit goes to pedal steel man Ricky Davis and the rock-solid but subtly sophisticated rhythm section of Preston Rumbaugh and Brian Ferriby. Marc Greilsamer
I Hate These Songs
Blessed or Damned
Cheatin&quot; Heart Attack

Existing Account:

Username:
Password:
 
 Remember me
Forgot username or password?


You have show
recommendations
from 0 Ratings.