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.

(Article courtesy of Country Music News Today)

Since his debut album Anything Goes was released in late 2008, Randy Houser has performed for one raucous, enraptured crowd after another. Currently putting the finishing touches on his follow-up effort They Call Me Cadillac, due this summer, and on the heels of an Academy of Country Music Award nomination for Video of the Year for his hit song “Boots On,” Houser credits authenticity as the key to his success.

“You can’t fake real,” said the 2009 CMA Best New Artist Nominee.

Born and raised in central Mississippi, Houser’s musical roots and inspirations encompass more than the list of outlaw artists (i.e. Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams, Jr.) typically associated with his blend of storytelling and boot-stomping beats.

Considering his powerful vocal delivery on his debut single, “Anything Goes,” Houser was asked to name performers that always manage to stop him in his tracks and have him turning up the volume.

Old Ray Charles records, Vern Gosdin’s “Chiseled in Stone,” and Willie Nelson’s “Red Headed Stranger” were a few Houser mentioned. “I’m a big Ryan Adams fan too. Give me some rootsy rock ‘n roll any day.”

His new single “Whistlin’ Dixie” certainly shows off his love of ‘rootsy rock’ as it thunderously pulses through your radio speakers. This rollicking gem is poised to become a honky tonk staple and crowd favorite.

When asked what fans can expect from his new album, Houser said, “It’s a side of me that’s more country.”

For an artist that has been heralded by fans and critics alike for bringing more traditional country back to the airwaves, an album that is ‘more country’ will undoubtedly be greeted with the same adulation.

Sharing the spotlight for the return of traditional country is Houser’s longtime friend, tour mate, and sometime co-writer, Jamey Johnson. The duo collaborated, along with Dallas Davidson, on Trace Adkins’s 2005 monster-hit single, “Honky-Tonk Badonkadonk.”

The pair headlined CMT on Tour in 2009; traveled to the Persian Gulf and entertained the troops alongside Kellie Pickler as part of the USO Tour; and headlined a sold-out, unforgettable evening at the historic Ryman Auditorium last spring.

“We always have a ball. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be out with,” Houser said. “When you’re away from home and missing your family, it’s good to have your buddy there with you. It’s like having a piece of home out on the road.”

Along with having a travel buddy and songwriting partner on tour, Houser loves playing to a diverse and devoted crowd night after night.

“We have everyone from little girls with their ‘boots on’ to biker guys. It is a mish-mash of people that come to our shows,” he said.

When asked about the near-tangible enthusiasm that permeated he and Johnson’s performance at the Ryman last year, Houser said, “We were fed by the crowd’s energy. What you felt just being in the audience, we felt a thousand times more on stage.”

Houser brings high energy to all elements of his career such as his enormously successful video for his single, “Boots On.” The lip-synching toddler in the video was already a YouTube hit, but when combined with Houser, the clip became a sensation and was featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, CNN, and the CBS Early Show, just to name a few.

“They always say not to compete with kids or puppies,” Houser said with a laugh.

Considering all that Houser has accomplished thus far in his young career, it is safe to say he will not have to worry about competing for the spotlight anytime soon.

(Courtesy of MusicCityNews.com)