Lindale, Texas, meets Stephenville, Texas.
The Texas up-and-comer is releasing a cover of a classic and reimagining the help of one of his original singles with the help of a new friend.
Over the last few weeks, Hudson Westbrook has been teasing the release of his cover of “The House That Built Me.” The heartbreaking song about growing up was a massive hit for fellow Texan Miranda Lambert in 2010.
The song, penned by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin, was the fastest-growing single of Lambert’s career and became her first number-one single on the Billboard Hot Country Chart. The song was initially written for her ex-husband, Blake Shelton, to record, but Lambert was so moved the first time she heard the song that she knew she had to cut it. She said in an interview with Today that she broke down the very first time she heard it:
“It was beautiful… I mean, I just started bawling from the second I heard it. Blake was like, ‘If you have a reaction to this song like that, then you need to cut it.'”
The heartfelt lyrics of the song are something that anyone can relate to. Whether your parents still have your childhood home or not, going back to the place that built you and seeing the changes is beautiful yet heartbreaking in the same breath. Growing up comes with the realization that you can’t recreate the past, but you are also flooded with all the good memories from your childhood when you step back into that space. The simple production of the song lets the words jump out at the listener, and hits you where it hurts in the best way possible.
Hudson Westbrook, who admitted he’s a big fan of Lambert, frequently covered “The House That Built Me” during his live shows. Given how much his fans loved his take on it, he decided to record a cover.
Westbrook heavily teased his version of the song leading up to today’s single release. At one point, fans were convinced that Miranda Lambert would appear on the cover after he shared a picture of them on social media at Two Step Inn.
“The duo we didn’t know we needed!!!!”
“Collab incoming?! Please!!”
“Something’s happening!!!”
“This is gonna be SO good.”
While fans were on the money with the idea that something was in the works between these two, they were incorrect with the guess that Lambert would be featured on “The House That Built Me.” Instead, Westbrook kept with the house theme and re-released his hit “House Again” featuring Miranda Lambert.
“House Again” still has that same feeling of visiting a place that used to be something special to you, and how it has a different feeling. But unlike “The House That Built Me,” which has a feel of nostalgia and thankfulness for the place that raised you, “House Again” is a heartbreaker of a home that was once filled with love, which is unrecognizable given the dissolution of a relationship.
The addition of Lambert on “House Again” adds depth to the song, showing that both parties in the relationship are hurting. Even though the man is the one left in the house, she feels the shift in energy in the place they used to call home as she starts over, too.
Westbrook and Lambert’s vocals sound stellar, creating beautiful harmonies during the chorus. This reimagination of the song with Lambert adds a heartbreakingly beautiful layer to the already incredible tune. This version of “House Again” embodied one of our favorite phrases at Whiskey Riff: Sad country songs make me happy.
Both of these releases are certified heaters. Fire them up.
“The House That Built Me”
“House Again (with Miranda Lambert)”
Of course, without Miranda Lambert initially recording “The House That Built Me” in 2010, we wouldn’t have Hudson Westbrook’s cover to enjoy, so fire up her version before you go.
