One of the best in Texas country is back with a brand new album…sort of.
Wade Bowen dropped his latest album The Version Of Me You Get today, his first album since 2024. But as it turns out, this is one that’s been sitting on the shelf for a while, just waiting for the right time to be heard.
The 10-track album was originally recorded in 2020, during the COVID pandemic and also following a period of losses and hardships in Bowen’s personal life. The result was a raw, gritty album that Bowen ultimately decided against releasing at the time – but after recently revisiting the album, he decided that the time was finally right.
We sat down with Wade recently, where he talked about his decision to finally put the album out in the world:
“At that time, I finished the record thinking, ‘Ok, I’m not sure what I’m going to do with this.’ And so we just put it on the shelf for a while for some reason, I don’t even know why, we just did. This is the first record that I’ve ever done that with, and then felt like it would find its own way and its own journey. And it has.
I revisited it last year, just randomly listened to it again from start to finish, and was really blown away at how the record almost has as much meaning last year, releasing and playing it now, as it did back when we wrote it.”
And he’s right: The 10 tracks on the album showcase a sound that, while not a total departure from his Texas country sound, takes on a rock edge that we’ve heard in the past from Wade to add a grittiness and edge that adds to the emotional heaviness of the album.
It’s also that edge that adds to the emotional heaviness of the album. And from the opening track “Rain” to my personal favorite on the album, “Weight On the Levee,” Wade frequently showcases his masterful lyricism by frequently relying on metaphors to make the songs instantly relatable.
While there’s a lot of pain that’s evident on the album, there’s also resilience evident in the rockin’ “Burned In the Fire” and redemption with “The Garden.” And at the end of the day, it’s all wrapped up by the tender final track, “The Version of Me You Get.”
“You’re everlasting like time
And your faith doesn’t change on a dime
And when I grow up
Girl, I wanna be you
‘Cause I spend my life
Gettin’ it right
Or doin’ things that I regret
It all depends on the version of me you get”
This isn’t a Texas honky tonk album, or one that’s going to have you two-stepping around the room like some of his previous albums. This one’s heavier, it’s more emotional, and it’s one that meets the moment both for Wade as an artist and for the world that we’re living in. It’s gritty, raw, edgy, and it showcases exactly why Wade Bowen has cemented himself as one of the best and most versatile artists in the Texas music scene and beyond.
When speaking with Wade, he said that he’d never before put an album on the shelf and decided to release it later on down the line:
“It’s been an interesting thing. I’ve never experienced anything like this with music. … I’m glad this record is being heard finally.”
But as they say, a song always finds its moment. And the 10 songs on this album are perfect for this moment.
“Weight On the Levee”
“The Version Of Me You Get”
