LARRY CORDLE, "Tales From East Kentucky," MightyCord Records, 11 tracks
Larry Cordle is an accomplished songwriter in both bluegrass and country music.
In 1999, he and Larry Shell wrote "Murder on Music Row," an indictment of modern country music, that became the Country Music Association's song of the year for Alan Jackson and George Strait.
And his "Highway 40 Blues" was a major hit for Ricky Skaggs.
Cordle's songs have been recorded by a who's who of bluegrass and country artists.
But "Tales From East Kentucky" gives him a chance to tell his stories in his own voice.
And while the songs may have been written about events in eastern Kentucky, they're universal and could be set in any rural area.
"Yardbird" is an uptempo number about chickens.
"Where The Mountain Lilies Grow" is a ballad, telling the story of a Virginia woman, married with children, who stole a man's heart before she died.
"Bluegrass Junction" is an uptempo song about a bluegrass channel on Sirius XM radio.
"Lawrence County Seat" finds an old man thinking back about all the things he's seen and heard in church.
"Old Men" is a ballad about men who still feel young inside even as their bodies age.
"We Blame The Devil" says we may blame the devil, but the wrong we do is really our own fault.
"A Large Detroit American Automobile" is nostalgia for cars of the past and a rant against hybrids and electrics.
"Scared The Hell Out of Me" tells the story of a boy listening to a hell-fire sermon and a man seeing a murder-suicide.
"Back When" is pure nostalgia.
"Anything Worth Doing" is a ballad about a lesson in life.
And "Bandit is an uptempo song about a raccoon.
A host of guest musicians and vocalists join Cordle on the album.
Good album.
Can't find it in stores? Try https://larrycordle.com/music/
