Vincent Neil Emerson has done it again.
The singer/songwriter from Texas is quickly making a name for himself as one of the best in the business when it comes to the independent country music scene.
He released his self-titled sophomore album last year, and the project proved that he has the potential to be one of the best, if not the best, storytellers in country music, with songs like “High on the Mountain,” “Texas Moon,” “White Horse Saloon,” and hell, all ten of ’em.
Producing the new album, Rodney Crowell paid Emerson the ultimate compliment, saying that he is cut from the same cloth as notable Texas songwriters like Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt and Willie Nelson:
“When asked to explain the Texas singer/songwriter/poet mystique, I often said that Guy Clark was a regional artist with global appeal, that his literary sensibilities… one could say he and Larry McMurtry were cut from a similar cloth… was the basis for his broader appeal.
And that Townes Van Zandt’s allure was, much like Dylan’s, rooted in his effortless access to the higher realms of archetypal imagery. To put it simply, he made incredibly complex songwriting sound easy. Add Willie Nelson to the mix and you have the Texas trifecta.
Now, in the case of one Vincent Neil Emerson, whose new record it was my honor to produce, I’m happy to say the Texas singer/songwriter/poet tradition is alive and well. And I can’t help thinking that if he grows on the public the way he’s grown on me, it’s possible young Vincent will plant the flag of his forebears firmly in the consciousness of a whole new generation.
With that being said, the man has added to his arsenal, as he released a stellar cover of Neil Young’s “Cowgirl in the Sand,” live from the Luck Mansion Sessions at 3Sirens in Nashville, Tennessee.
The song was originally released on Young’s 1969 album, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, and it also was featured on Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s album, 4 Way Street.
Check it out:
And the original:
