March 4, 2010 at Cotton Eyed Joe, Knoxville, TN
Randy Houser plays his kind of country.
On March 4, Randy Houser brought his straight from the honky tonk brand of country music to Knoxville for a show at the Academy of Country Music nominated Cotton Eyed Joe. New country act Williams Riley warmed up the crowd before Houser and his band arrived on stage just after 10 p.m., opening with Houser's “My Kind of Country.” The track let the crowd know what kind of show it was going to be right from the beginning – a Randy Houser kind of show.
After a rousing "Waylon Woulda Kicked Your Ass," Houser addressed the crowd. “We're going to have a damn good time tonight,” he said. As the crowd continued to cheer, Houser laughed. “I'm sorry I'm giggling,” he said. “It's embarrassing. But I just love what I do.”
Houser is currently working on a new record and used the opportunity to showcase some of his new tracks. The first of those was a ballad called “Man Like Me,” a traditional sounding song pondering how a woman could love a 'man like me.'
Houser was excited to play Cotton Eyed Joe, saying it was a place a lot of his friends had played and all reported it being a good time. After thanking the local radio station, WIVK, for their support, Houser launched into his debut hit, “Anything Goes.” Houser's vocals were even more impressive live than on his album, a sign of a true artist.
Throughout the night, Houser covered songs from Waylon Jennings and Charlie Daniels while mixing new tracks with songs from his current album, Anything Goes. A cover of The Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider" had the crowd belting out the lyrics louder than Houser who just kept rocking along with them.
Houser wasn't the only familiar face on stage, however. Chad Warrix, of the duo Halfway 2 Hazard, has joined Houser on lead guitar while his duo takes some time off. Warrix's passion for what he does was clear and his chemistry with Houser was palpable. Houser took the opportunity to recognize Warrix a couple of times throughout the night and at one point, Warrix called out to the crowd, point to Houser "That man sure can sing, can't he?" The crowd's road confirmed Warrix's statement.
Houser ended the show at just past midnight with his hit single “Boots On.” The crowd, showing signs of feeling the late hour, came back to life with the opening bars of the track and continued dancing and singing with their beer bottles held high during the final song of the night, “Whistlin' Dixie.”
Randy Houser is as real as he can be. He is a talented vocalist and musician to be sure, but he is also authentic. What you see is what you get with Houser and it was that genuine appeal that won the crowd over at Cotton Eyed Joe. Houser does play his kind of country and his kind of country was what the people of Knoxville wanted to hear.
