A new wife, a new baby, a new record label … add it all up and you’ll find a new Randy Houser on his debut single for Stoney Creek Records. ‘How Country Feels’ drops the Delta Blues-soaked guitar riffs in favor of a sound more palatable to the fan of middle-of-the-road country music.

The vocal reverb and call-back backing vocals may be a little more than the singer’s longtime fans are ready for. This song is a long way from ‘Anything Goes’ — Houser’s debut hit from 2008. He followed that up with ‘Boots On’ and then struggled with his next four offerings to country radio while receiving critical praise. He is still one of the top vocal talents in Nashville, and he shows it off in bite-sized pieces on ‘How Country Feels.’

You were raised on an asphalt farm / Ain’t never heard a rooster crow / Never walked barefoot by a river / Felt the mud up between your toes,” Houser sings to begin the song.

A one-word review of ‘How Country Feels’ would be “safe.” The lyrics are sharp but familiar, and there isn’t a whole lot of attitude until a guitar solo late in the song. It’s hard to blame him however, as swinging for the fences has thus far left his commercial potential unrealized. This a song his new son would sing along with if he were old enough.

Put your hair down, hair down / Get you some of this laid on back / Kick your shoes off, kick ‘em off / Get you some of this slow down fast / Take you up and down these hollers and hills / Let me show you how country feels,” Houser sings during the chorus.

With Stoney Creek (home of Thompson Square), ‘How Country Feels’ could easily become the biggest radio hit of Houser’s career. It’s not a career song, but it’s strong enough to give him a little momentum.

3.5 Stars
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Listen to Randy Houser, ‘How Country Feels’

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