Once a fan, always a fan.

Today’s listening session was dominated by the welcome returns of four folks who charted in prior decades. I am happy to report that all of them still sound as strong as ever. They are former Arista artist Michelle Wright, former Curb signee Philip Claypool, former Sony chart-topper Collin Raye and the ageless John Anderson, who has been on just about every label imprint in Music City.

A tip of my hat and a warm embrace to John Anderson, along with a Disc of the Day salute.

This week’s DisCovery Award goes to Ashley Clark. He is a former member of The Clark Family Experience and a fiddler in Carrie Underwood’s band. It doesn’t say so on the CDX, but his (excellent) producer is none other than Mutt Lange.

CHRISTIAN LOPEZ BAND/Leaving It Out
Writers: Christian Lopez; Producer: Dave Cobb; Publisher: Christian Lopez, SESAC; Blaster (track)
-He has a charmingly earnest tenor voice. The band is unimaginative but adequate. The song does nothing for me.

JOHN ANDERSON/I Work A Lot Better
Writers: John D. Anderson/Josh Turner; Producers: John Anderson & Joe Spivey; Publishers: none listed; Bayou Boys (track)
-The blander country music gets, the more I yearn for personality vocalists like this one. Anderson remains one of the greatest stylists we’ve ever had, and he’s at his best on good-humored songs like this honky-tonking romp. That’s a huge smile you see on my face as it crashes to a close. Love him. Love this.

2-BIT PALOMINO/Things I Dream About
Writers: Sheryn Cassiday/Andrea C. Renfree; Producer: Don Richmond; Publisher: none listed; Howlin’ Dog (track)
-The title tune of this trio’s CD throws a spotlight on its strengths — a poetic sensibility, an emphasis on melody and sterling harmonies. The main drawback is that all three voices are a bit too “pretty” and pop-perfect, which is underscored by the pristine-precious picking.

COLLIN RAYE/Rock and Roll Never Forgets
Writers: B. Seger; Producer: Cradle Concepts LLC; Publisher: Gear, no performance rights listed; Goldentone (track)
-Collin’s new CD is Greatest Hits Live. Its one non-hit is the rousing, rocking closing track wherein he exhorts the crowd to sing along with him on the familiar 1977 Bob Seger classic. You don’t hear them doing so, but his top-of-his-range tenor shriek comes through loud and clear. As does the extended ovation at the finale.

THE PAT WATTERS BAND/I’m Your Buddy
Writers: Pat Watters; Producers: The Pat Watters Band; Publishers: none listed; PWB (track)
-I gather from the credits that these guys hail from Wisconsin. They’re not exactly instrumental virtuosos, nor vocal volcanos. But the good-natured approach and the clever songwriting are both very winning. I bet they’re a barroom full of fun in a live show.

MICHELLE WRIGHT/Laugh A Little
Writers: Jason Sellers/David Lynn Hutton/Terri Jo Box; Producer: Jason Barry; Publishers: This Is Magic Mustang/Big Loud Bucks/Troy D/Sony-ATV Cross Keys, ASCAP; Savannah (CDX)
-This Canadian thrush made her mark in the early ‘90s with hits like “Take It Like a Man” and “He Would Be 16.” She still has the goods as a throaty, emotive vocalist. Another big plus is the solidly written song with its hooky, good-message choruses. Play this excellent comeback single.

ASHLEY CLARK/Greyhound
Writers: Ashley Clark/Austin Clark; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed, BMI/ASCAP; I.R.S. (CDX)
-He had me from his first notes. This guy is a for-real singer, with lung power to spare and an excellent sense of dynamics. The chorus rushes by its title so quickly that it hardly registers. But I got so caught up in his performance and the terrifically wooshy production that I didn’t care. I’m a believer.

SMITH N WESTERN/Call Me
Writers: Travis C. Smith; Producer: Jason Plummer; Publisher: 80 Proof Poetry and Truth, BMI; 80 Proof (CDX)
-This new duo pushes its way onto the country scene with a song that has more hooks than a tuna boat. The vocals are a little “dry,” and there’s not much production finesse, but there’s no denying the potency of the material. Well worth your attention.

PHILIP CLAYPOOL/Three More Beers
Writers: Philip Claypool/Jeff Silbar; Producer: Michael Lloyd; Publishers: none listed, ASCAP/BMI; PC (CDX)
-The hillbilly in the bar is getting so plastered that he’s mistaking the gal making eyes at him for Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, J-Lo, Ga-Ga, Angaleena Jolie and Pamela Sue Anderson. All of whom he manages to not only name-check but rhyme in the lyric. A must-listen rockabilly fiesta.

RICK MONROE/Great Minds Drink Alike
Writers: Rick Monroe/Dan Adams; Producer: Sean Giovanni; Publishers: Jindo Dog/Broken Yellow Line, ASCAP/BMI; MRG (CDX)
-This oomphy rocker is produced and sung with great gusto. And who can argue with a title this witty? Shut up and dance.

Today’s journey through Americana music is a potpourri of sounds.

Marquee country names such as Shelby Lynne and Lee Ann Womack are here. But so are soul singer Jerry Lawson, rhythmic folkies The Kennedys and veteran troubadours Greg Trooper and John Moreland. I’m not sure just how to describe Nataly Dawn, but the adventurous listeners among you need to hear her.

The Disc of the Day belongs to Pokey LaFarge. His jazzy, razamatazzy style makes you feel good all over.

The same might be said for the burnished glow of the voice of Jerry Lawson. He might be a veteran of The Persuasions, but this is his solo debut. And for that, he wins the DisCovery Award.

BLACKBERRY SMOKE/Too High
Writers: none listed; Producer: Brendan O’Brien; Publishers: none listed; Rounder (track)
-Country-rock with a slightly “outlaw” rumble. The hard-luck lyric has the protagonist giving up in the face of economic and social forces. Very country and very effective. I dig this band.

SHELBY LYNNE/I Can’t Imagine
Writers: Shelby Lynne/Pete Donnelly; Producer: Shelby Lynne; Publishers: Swampyblu/Pete Donnelly, BMI; Rounder (track)
-The tempestuous diva returns, still smoldering with emotion. The title tune to her new CD finds her moaning the blues in her upper vocal register, backing by weeping steel guitar. I remain a fan.

SHANNON McNALLY/I Must Be in a Good Place Now
Writers: none listed; Producer: Shannon McNally & Mac Rebennack; Sacred Sumac
-I am extremely late in getting to this, but I can’t let a tribute record to the late Bobby Charles slip by without a mention. The swamp-pop great is evocatively recalled in this drawling, languid ballad that closes the set. Flute and violin notes flutter around her laid-back vocal delivery. Elsewhere on the Small Town Talk CD, you’ll find Vince Gill, Dr. John, Derek Trucks and Luther Dickinson dropping by for instrumental support.

JERRY LAWSON/I’ll Come Running Back to You
Writers: William Stovall Clark; Producer: Eric Brace; Publishers: Sony-ATV/Big Billy, BMI; Red Beet (track)
-This outstanding soul singer was previously the lead vocalist in the a cappella group The Persuasions. He came to Nashville to craft his first solo album, which salutes such predecessors as Sam Cooke, David Ruffin and Bobby “Blue” Bland. With gently strummed acoustic guitar and soft harmony voices, Lawson is effortlessly captivating on this rolling, swaying track. Throughout the I’m Just a Mortal Man CD, his sandpapery, gospel-inflected delivery is gripping. The McCrary Sisters, Jim Lauderdale, Peter Cooper and Thom Jutz are among the cast members. If you love classic soul music, this is essential.

GREG TROOPER/All the Way to Amsterdam
Writers: Greg Trooper; Producer: Keith Gary; Publishers: 52 Shakes, BMI; 52 Shakes (track)
-Trooper’s latest is Live from the Rock Room. It contains in-concert versions of many of the veteran’s most memorable songs. This word portrait of a hopeful pair of losers jangles in all the right places, and the singer-songwriter’s crystal-clear vocal performance drives home every poetic line.

LEE ANN WOMACK/Trouble In Mind
Writers: Richard M. Jones; Producer: none listed; Publishers: Universal, no performance rights listed; Sugar Hill (track)
-Womack wanted to create something special for her Record Store Day release. So she went into the studio with just ace guitarist Richard Bennett to make a three-song vinyl release. Its title tune is this 1937 blues classic. Her magical voice weaves a sorcerous spell.

THE KENNEDYS/West
Writers: Pete Kennedy; Producer: Pete and Maura Kennedy; Publishers: Parade of Echoes, BMI; Kennedys (track)
-Pete and Maura Kennedy have been at it for 20 years now. The title tune of their latest collection features loads of deep-twang guitar, steady rhythm, melodic hooks and their trademark twin vocal harmony work. Country music laced with a folk sensibility.

JOHN MORELAND/Cherokee
Writers: John Moreland; Producer: John Moreland; Publishers: FTWSNGS, BMI; Old Omens (track)
-This troubadour’s latest is titled High on Tulsa Heat. It includes this longtime concert favorite, an addict’s fevered dream of redemption and healing. Between the ballad’s gripping lyric and his rasp-groan vocal, I guarantee it will haunt you.

NATALY DAWN/Araceli
Writers: Nataly Dawn; Producer: Jack Conte; Publishers: Nataly Dawn, ASCAP; Nonesuch (track)
-Now here’s something from out of left field. The eccentric-sounding track has a galumphing, herky-jerky rhythm. The lyric name-drops figures from Greek mythology. Her vocal is all over the melodic scale. Fascinating, to say the least.

POKEY LaFARGE/Something In The Water
Writers: Pokey LaFarge/Jimmy Sutton/Scott Ligon/Casey McDonough; Producers: Jimmy Sutton & Pokey LaFarge; Publishers: Pokey LaFarge/Chesterboy/Legmusic/Bardough, BMI/ASCAP; Rounder (track)
-Former Jack White / Third Man Records protege Pokey LaFarge makes his Rounder debut with a delightful collection. Its lead-off track and title tune samples elements from swing, ragtime, blues and country for an utterly charming sonic gumbo. Happily, it is symptomatic of the whole jazzbo album. If he sounds familiar, perhaps you caught him warbling on the soundtrack of TV’s Boardwalk Empire. Whatever the case, you need this music in your life.

Spring has sprung, and country sounds fill the air. My favorite thing about this listening session is that there was no shortage of worthy DisCovery Award contenders. New to the column this week are 2 Steel Girls, Rainey Qualley, Bryan Hayes and Monty Byrom, any one of whom could have captured the crown.

But I’ve gotta go with the outlaw sound of Whitey Morgan & The 78s. This is the “honky-tonk alter ego of Eric David Allen,” who grew up in hard-luck Flint, Mich., and cut his extraordinary CD in Texas. Welcome to the party, son: You’ve got the goods.

The Disc of the Day belongs to Thomas Rhett, who manages to marry a loser’s lyric to a winner’s audio sunshine.

MONTY BYROM/Meet Me at Midnight
Writers: Monty Byrom/Paul Kalman; Producer: Monty Byrom; Publishers: Byrom, SESAC; WTF (track)
-Remember the Bakersfield band Big House and its groovy 1997 hit “Cold Outside?” The group’s Monty Byrom now leads The Buckaroos at The Crystal Palace once a month and has his own blues-rocking combo The Road Pilots. With the latter, he has recorded his debut solo CD, 100 Miles South of Eden. That’s where you’ll find this swampy, soulful ballad beckoning a belle to sex and sadness. Very cool. The album’s last track, by the way, features the late Buck Owens singing with Byrom on a 1998 version of “Big In Vegas.”

COLE SWINDELL/Let Me See Ya Girl
Writers: Cole Swindell/Michael Carter/Jody Stevens; Producer: Michael Carter; Publishers: Sony-ATV Tree/243/Sony-ATV Cross Keys; BMI/ASCAP; Warner Bros.
-He wants to see her “dance” in the bed of his truck, “movin’ your hips like the wind moves cotton.” It may not be the most romantic invitation in the world, but it is lively and tuneful.

BRYAN HAYES/Farther Down the Line
Writers: Bryan Hayes; Producer: Andy Hunt; Publishers: none listed; BMI; BH (track)
– The title tune to his new CD finds this tenor Tennessee troubadour questioning the future of a relationship with plenty of catchy hooks. It has been seven years since his last collection because he wrote these 11 new songs while serving in Iraq. Welcome home, bro.

THOMAS RHETT/Crash and Burn
Writers: Jesse Frasure/Chris Stapleton; Producers: Dann Huff/Jesse Frasure; Publishers: Rio Bravo/WB/Ken Tucky; BMI/ASCAP; Valory
– Jaunty and bopping, featuring hand claps, whistling and a dandy rhythm track. The lyric is about a love crashing and burning, but heartache has never sounded quite this bouncy. Delightful.

RAINEY QUALLEY/Turn Me On Like The Radio
Writers: Rainey Qualley/John Ramey/Jeffrey Easy; Producers: Russ Zavitson/John Ramey; Publishers: Russ Zavitson/Rainey Qualley/Tazmaraz, ASCAP/BMI; Cingle (track)
– Instantly familiar, with a melody that grabs your ears and won’t let go. An automatic add and a sure-fire hit for a newcomer with a winning, throaty, alto range.

LIVEWIRE/Quit You
Writers: Andy Eutsler/Danny Bell/Jeffrey Joseph East; Producers: Paul Carabello/Clif Doyal; Publishers: Real Man/Parrot Island/Tazmaraz; BMI; Way Out West
-I remain a fan. This time, LiveWire takes on a dark ballad with the theme of love being like an addiction. Slowly insinuating.

WHITEY MORGAN & THE 78s/Waitin’ ‘Round to Die
Writers: Townes Van Zandt; Producer: Ryan Hewitt; Publisher: Silver Dollar, ASCAP; WM (track)
-Morgan previews next month’s Sonic Ranch CD with a video of this dark, doom-drenched and completely gripping ballad. You’ll hang on every line, probably because it’s written by a master song craftsman. In addition to Van Zandt, the singer-songwriter covers tunes by Tom T. Hall, Frankie Miller and Waylon Jennings, with whom he shares a dramatic “outlaw” vocal personna. Highly recommended.

2 STEEL GIRLS/Mad Black Magic
Writers: none listed; Producers: none listed; Publishers: none listed; 2SG
-This is a mother-daughter duo — Allison and Krystal Steel — who competed on Team Blake during the 2012-13 season of The Voice. Their new single combines deep-thump rhythm and feisty-female “attitude” vocals. It drops on Tuesday, April 21. I’m intrigued.

TY BATES/Tongue Tied
Writers: Ty Bates/Thomas Archer; Producer: Rogers Masson; Publishers: none listed; TB (track)
– I dig his Georgia drawl. The song’s idea is a clever play on stuttering and kissing. I like it, even though it is somewhat wordy and could use a more memorable chorus.

ADRIAN DUFFY & THE MAYO BROTHERS/United We Fall
Writers: Adrian Duffy/Melvin Duffy; Producers: Adrian Duffy/Melvin Duffy/Matt Kemp; Publishers: none listed; SR (track)
– The three Duffy brothers from Ireland have been tantalizing me with their excellent singles for a couple of years. Now they have a crowd-funded full album at last. Its title tune is chock full of harmony vocals, ringing guitars and echoey atmosphere. These guys have vocal, songwriting and production chops in abundance.

It all begins with a song.

The thing that unites all of the standout records this week is that they all feature the craftsmanship that good country music has always boasted.

Whether it’s Zane Williams’s outstanding story lyric, Chris Stapleton’s road tune, Rich Karg’s cool description of momentary love without commitment, Toby Keith’s meditation on decaying society or Steve Azar’s musing about lost innocence these discs contain writing that makes me proud to be a country fan.

Throughout the career of Toby Keith, the consistent excellence of his songwriting has beamed brightly. He wins the Disc of the Day.

The DisCovery Award goes to Rich Karg. His CD is full of unexpected pleasures.

DIANA UPTON-HILL/Do Love Well
Writers: Mitchell T. Goudy; Producer: Bryan White; Publishers: Bread N Pants, ASCAP; Third Floor (track)
-Sunny and sugary. Sorry, I’ve never had much of a sweet tooth.

LADY ANTEBELLUM/Long Stretch of Love
Writers: Dave Haywood/Charles Kelley/Hillary Scott/Josh Kear; Producers: Nathan Chapman/Lady Antebellum; Publishers: Beards and Bullets/30A Getaway/Hobbs Hill/Kobalt/Global Dog/Book of Spells, ASCAP/SESAC; Capitol Nashville
-The multiple audio layers make it sound like there are a lot more than three voices on this. Dense sounding, but highly commercial.

RICH KARG/Beautiful Distraction
Writers: Weston Burt/R. Karg/S. Mitchell; Producer: Rich Karg; Publishers: Rich Karg/Green Hills Music Group/Grin Like Dog, SESAC; RK (track)
-This Nashville singer-songwriter is selling a CD titled U Turn at his gigs. It contains this deliciously melodic power ballad about hooking up with no strings attached. You big-time stars and producers out there need to be mining this and the other tunes on this collection for gold. Recommended listening.

JOSH GOODLETT/Why You Gotta Be That Way
Writers: Bobby E. Boyd/Brad Wolf/Phillip Moore; Producer: Bobby E. Boyd; Publishers: Boyd Where Prohibited/Green Dog, BMI; Good
-The country-rocking production is on the money, and he is a fine country singer. The song doesn’t do much for me, but overall this is a perfectly OK effort.

TOBY KEITH/35 MPH Town
Writers: Toby Keith/Bobby Pinson; Producers: Toby Keith/Bobby Pinson; Publishers: Tokeco/Bobby’s Lyrics Land & Livestock/Do Write, BMI; Show Dog (CDX)
-This is an extremely well written song about a mother who doesn’t like what she sees around her these days. She cautions her boy that things aren’t like they used to be. Toby’s vocal is a masterpiece of urgent phrasing, and the dramatic production totally kicks butt. Play it again.

STEVE AZAR & SOPHIE YOUNG/The Sky Is Falling
Writers: Steve Azar; Producer: Steve Azar; Publishers: Steve Azar, BMI; Ride (CDX)
-Their duet about lost youth and forgotten innocence glides on wafting wings of sound. Ear catching.

CASEY JAMES/Fall Apart
Writers: Will Bowen/Joshua Carter/Zach Carter; Producers: Chris Lindsey/Casey James; Publishers: Vaughn Fenwick/Little Extra/Ten Thousand Hours/Petite-T/Music of Parallel, BMI; Columbia (CDX)
-Pleading with a broken heart, he sings the fire out of this. But I’m sorry: “Every time I run into you, I fall apart” is not exactly the most original idea in songwriting history.

TYLER HAMMOND/Wild One Tonight
Writers: Chris Jones; Producer: Chris Jones; Publishers: Chris Jones, ASCAP; Milley (CDX)
-I like the moody, thumpy production and the up-close-and-personal quality in his singing. I also like the way it builds in sonic complexity. I’m intrigued. Send more.

CHRIS STAPLETON/Traveller
Writers: Chris Stapleton; Producer: Dave Cobb; Publishers: WB/Ken Tucky, ASCAP; Mercury (CDX)
-He remains one of the most gripping vocalists on today’s scene. This lonely-wanderer song is right up his alley. The tempo rolls along appropriately. Super listenable.

ZANE WILLIAMS/Jayton and Jill
Writers: Zane Williams; Producers: Zane Williams/Tom Faulkner; Publishers: Born Into Love/Be Original, ASCAP; Be (CDX)
-I love a good country story song, and this one is a pip. Jayton is an everyday guy working at a filling station and feeling suicidal. Jill is preacher’s daughter gone wild. They meet, talk all night and save one another’s troubled souls. A dandy, an instant classic.

In today’s exploration of the fringes of the country music world, I found plenty to like.

Here are some folks you might not know about, but should: Chris Heers, Dexter Roberts, Cash Creek, Brendon Preece, Ricky Gunn and John Moreland. All but Heers, a former DisCovery Award winner, are making their debuts in DisClaimer this week.

Today’s DisCovery Award honoree comes from this list. It is Brendon Preece. I know very little about him, other than the fact that he’s a Texan. But his debut single made me sit straight up, pay attention and want to know (and hear) more. Whoever he is, he has star quality.

The Disc of the Day goes to American Idol alumnus Dexter Roberts.

JUSTIN PECINA/Rude To Share
Writers: Justin Pecina; Producer: Greg White; Publisher: none listed; JP
-Pleasant and inoffensive, if not exactly gripping. He has a smooth tenor voice, and the production is unobtrusive.

DEXTER ROBERTS/Dream About Me
Writers: Dexter Roberts/David Jones/Brad Wolf/Don Goodman/Erik Nelson; Producer: Erik Nelson; Publishers: Honky Tonk Skool/Morris Bedell/Sounds and More/First Launch, BMI/ASCAP; First Launch
-This fellow was a top-10 finalist on Season 13 of American Idol. His jaunty debut single is quite engaging, with a flirty, built-in smile and a catchy, winning chorus. Promising.

BRENDON PREECE/Truck
Writers: Brendon Preece; Producers: Tim Phelan/Brendon Preece; Publishers: none listed; BP
-Now here’s a solid honky-tonk singer. His baritone drawls and dips in all the right places. The tempo tune cooks with gas as it tells the tale of a guy who muses, “looks like I’m livin’ in my truck now.” You see, she’s kicked him out because of his partying ways. Mr. Preece has it all going on as both a writer and a vocalist. Send more, pronto.

CASH CREEK/Even Angels Have Bad Days
Writers: Harris/Barker; Producer: Kimo Forrest; Publishers: none listed; Heartland (track)
-This hooky, easy-going country rocker boasts tight band harmonies, cool guitar work, propulsive percussion, deft fiddling and a wistful, likeable, pop-ish lead vocal. Extremely programmable. Spin it.

SUZANNE JARVIE/Spiral Road
Writers: Suzanne Jarvie; Producer: Hugh Christopher Brown; Publishers: Modern Works, SOCAN/ASCAP; SJ (track)
-It’s a mystical, poetic meditation with Southwest Native American imagery. Her alto is mixed so you can follow every line in the spacey spiritualism. Direct this folkie outing toward your Americana listeners.

RICKY GUNN/King of This Town
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; New Canvas
-As a teen, he ruled his rural flyspeck village: “Nothin’ but cornfields for miles around/I was the king of this town.” Alas, now he’s grown up and no one remembers. Well written (uncredited) and expertly (if anonymously) produced. You have talent. Start packaging yourself with some professionalism.

JOHN MORELAND/High on Tulsa Heat
Writers: John Moreland/John Calvin Abney; Producer: John Moreland; Publishers: FTWSNGS/Bullet in the Chamber Folk, BMI; Old Omens/Thirty Tigers (track)
-The title tune of Moreland’s new collection has a really groovy, jingle-jangle sound. Not only that, he sings with a heart-grabbing rasp that would do any blue-collar rocker proud. Somewhere, Springsteen is smiling. I wish all country music sounded as cool as this.

CHRIS HEERS/Road Trip
Writers: Chris Heers/Sammy Steele; Producers: Pat McGrath/Chris Heers; Publishers: Saddlefarm, ASCAP; Saddlefarm (track)
-I have admired this man in the past, and his second CD more than delivers on the promise of his first. Titled The Road Ahead Shines, it features this breezy, steel-soaked highway tune about a guy who tells his boss to kiss his keister and heads off for parts unknown. You can practically feel the wind in his smiling face as he glides through the countryside in search of American beauty. Get hip to this guy’s songwriting: you won’t find many more cinematic, vivid character portrayers working today.

JEFF BLANEY/Go Now, Don’t Look Back
Writers: Jeff Blaney; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Very Entertaining
-The bouncing fiddle and brushed drums kick this off with elan, but when the singing starts, things become rather more tentative. labored and uncertain. I recommend some seasoning. Or a demo singer.

DON MIDDLEBROOK/Bluer Skies Down The Road
Writers: Don Middlebrook; Producers: Don Middlebrook/Ricky Nalett; Publishers: none listed; DM (track)
-The title does not occur in the chorus. The verses don’t scan. The noodling band is lame. He can just barely sing. Other than that, “How did you enjoy the play, Mrs. Lincoln?”