Looking for Texas-born country music that falls as easily on the ears as summer rain falls on flowers, and honey glides down the throat? Look no further than Stephen Chadwick, whose pleasant deep southern drawl delivers simple, unchallenging melodies on comfortable arrangements that drift somewhere between traditional country and soft classic rock, typifying that well-known Texas sound. Here at FTCR we tend to champion music that is highly intellectual, complicated, different and poetic, but sometimes there’s an inherent joy in consuming something far less demanding, far less deep but simply well-written. That’s not to say that Stephen’s music is basic, boring or simplistic; on the contrary, he has some great forays into powerful lyrics such as on ‘What Goodbye Does’ and ‘She Just Might Be A Love Song’ (a particularly special song that is an album highlight), showing his varied approach to subject matter against more party-oriented drinking tracks such as ‘I’ll Drink To That’, the title track and ‘Messing Around’.
It shows a level of experience and balance that can only come from someone who began performing professionally aged 12 without looking back since. Stephen formed his first band in 1998, and very quickly began opening for the likes of Chris LeDoux, Ray Price, Darryl Worley, John Anderson and many more, providing him with solid touring experience that would later stand him in good stead. He took up some soul searching to find where he needed to be musically and settled back in country, forming a new band called Stephen Chadwick and The Tonk Machine. When after one album (‘Nashville Texas’) that venture didn’t work out, Stephen began pushing forward again as a solo artist, soon finding a new band to come with him on his journey. In order to create his latest album ‘Let’s Do This Thing’ (released last November), he gathered together a handful of stellar originals that he had tested around his home state of Texas and pulled in cuts from some of Nashville’s most celebrated writers, including Lance Miller, Trent Summers and Bob Shapiro. When the response to his 12th & Porter showcase was overwhelmingly positive, Stephen knew he had a good thing going.
From the effortless melody, gentle gospel choir and smooth fiddle of ‘She Just Might Be A Love Song’, to the soulful semi-island country style of closer ‘Waitin’ On You’, and the hook-heavy mainstream country rock sounds of ‘Here We Are’, Stephen has a knack of writing and picking songs that hang in the air quite pleasantly and don’t get tired on multiple listens. With him, what you see is what you get, and there’s a joy to just sitting back and letting music wash over without it being so shallow that you lose interest. He keeps things dynamic with the bluesy southern rock ‘Skip That Stone’ and takes a catchy, soulful route down adult contemporary with ‘Can’t Hurt A Man’, using the different styles to showcase what he is capable of pulling it off. And to that end, it seems like quite a lot; indeed, he fits in just as well delivering more upbeat, heavier songs as he does performing heartfelt country ballads and leaning towards soul and blues. It’s a sign of his interest in music as a whole and also coming from one of the most sonically diverse areas of the country, the Lone Star state.
Some artists challenge you and make you think. Some artists just make you happy. And Stephen Chadwick is just a musical joy giver with a Texas soul.
