photo courtesy of Houston Bernard

Album Review of Houston Bernard: Ditch This Town

Houston Bernard has that radio-friendly country music voice, deep and strong but emotional and textured. If and when he gets widespread exposure he’ll be a star. He certainly has the ability, and he puts in the hard work. Until then, though, there’ll just be a subset of us who will know about and enjoy the music of one of country music’s most talented male vocalists.

Ditch This Town is a solid disc throughout, ranging from uptempo, dancefloor-filling numbers to heartfelt ballads to all of the usual country music tempos in-between. There’s never any doubt that a Houston Bernard album with become a favorite. It’s really just an exercise in finding your favorite songs, playing them endlessly, and mixing in some full-album listens because there are never any weak spots, and sometimes it’s worth riding the song-ordered train Houston has placed on the rails for you.

image courtesy of Houston Bernard

Houston opens the album with the title track, a hooky, uptempo number about moving on to new adventures and opportunities. “Should I stay here or go?” This whole song ponders that decision, energetically and with a soul-searching bridge and instrumental solo here and there for variety just to keep things interesting. “Ditch This Town” is a radio-ready potential hit, my personal go-to listen in this collection, and a great way to kick off this album of the same name.

“Pretend” is one of those more thumping, rhythmic country numbers where the verses are spoken-sung in a great country music tradition that extends back much longer than I’ve been on this earth. The instrumentation is a little more classic country-styled, too, though there’s a classic rock-inspired guitar run in the middle of the song that somehow fits quite neatly into the song structure.

Houston continues to mix things up – because he and his band aren’t just one-trick ponies. They’re, I guess, multiple-trick ponies? Anyway, “Darkest Water” is an intense, powerful ballad that’s rich enough to fill the hidden crevices of a room. It’s a heavy song of internal struggles (“I’ve been guarded, I’ve been hardened, I’ve been knocked down by the waves…”) and reaching out for help and love (“help me through the darkest water”). Goosebumps. A lump in your throat. The music alone can make it happen, but if you listen to the lyrics, you’ll feel it tenfold.

“Ain’t No Friend” is another excellent number, a more uptempo, rockin’ country number, but its subject matter is old-school country, so if you’re a lyric hound it might not be the spirit-lifting entry it seems. The music sure it energetic, though.

photo courtesy of Houston Bernard

Houston is teasing “In My Blood” as his next single/video. It’s written like an autobiography – and I don’t know Houston well enough to know the extent of its real-life basis, but I’m sure that’ll be a question he’ll get frequently in interviews. The song is heartfelt and emotional, a mid-tempo number that slows down and then builds to power (rinse and repeat). I can see why “In My Blood” is a current fan favorite and the next planned video.

“Ain’t Like Me” grabs attention with a strum-and-drum opening before adding strong vocals and guitars. It has that downhome, regular guy feel, telling a tale of finding himself possibly actually in love: “I’m givin’ up, givin’ in, baby I’m down on my knees. That ain’t like me.” It’s a mid-tempo song that’ll brighten the room and maybe evoke a knowing smile or two.

“All We Are Is Memories,” next, is a mid-to-slow tempo reminiscent number, while “Carry That Torch” is a slower-paced song of lifelong, married devotion, with the nifty lyric “I’m going to lay my head down so I can wake up and carry that torch for you.” Also probably the first song I’ve ever heard reference a ball-peen hammer, but maybe I’ve just lived a sheltered life.

photo courtesy of Houston Bernard

“Wild Desire” picks up the energy a little, with a fair bit of twanginess, as is I think a requirement whenever you sing a song that mentions Abilene. The tempo is not super-fast, but “Wild Desire” is absolutely a windows-down, driving-down-the-highway song. Of course, some of that might be the travel-related lyrics.

Houston delivers a tone on “Come Undone” that I only really ever hear in his songs. It’s a Houston Bernard special. It’s semi-uptempo with a thumping rock ‘n roll bass line, a steady beat, and a mix of countrified and rockin’ guitar riffs, both in the typical lead role and dancing occasionally through the background. But it’s more than just that, it’s a tempo through the verses, punching some words and phrases forcefully and others softly, a little variance to the pacing, and an almost subtle touch on the key chorus line. You may have other favorites on this album, but this is the song that’s most singularly representative of a Houston Bernard recording.

Houston brings things to a close by bringing the energy down with emotional ballad “Broken.” It’s an ode to those who’ve had a hard life, those who grew up in difficult circumstances, an understanding of how they’ll never fully escape what happened to them, that it will forever color their lives. A powerful song and an engaging one, a song that’s an enjoyable listen if you don’t pay close attention to the lyrics, a more intense, still beautiful listen if you do.

With each new album, Houston Bernard levels up another notch, seemingly reaching a peak, then exceeding it with future releases. Ditch This Town is a strong record, with music covering a wide range of country song styles, all guided by Houston’s quintessential deep country music voice and charisma.

photo courtesy of Houston Bernard

Looking Back

Of course, we’ve written about Houston Bernard several times at the blog. In addition to reviewing his live sets at the 1st and 2nd Annual Local CountryFests, we reviewed Houston’s “American Dream” single in 2020. Then, in 2021, we reviewed a trio of his singles: “People We Are,” “Small Town Way,” and “Without You Honey.”

Looking Ahead

The “Shows” tab of Houston’s website lists several upcoming shows. In Nashville, Music City fans can catch Houston tomorrow, Wednesday, March 6th via a BusCall Nashville show at Tin Roof. Houston will be back in Massachusetts for a Saturday, March 9th gig at Tempo in Waltham. The website lists additional shows over the next several months in Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire. Be sure to check his website for additional details and for new shows as they’re added.