Joshua Ray Walker’s Scenes From a Honky-Tonk

By Andrew Winistorfer, October 12, 2021 

“If you’ve spent any time on TikTok in the last six weeks (and god bless you if you’ve been able to avoid it), or were near a radio playing country music in 1992-1994 , you’ve heard [Brooks and Dunn’s “Neon Moon,” one of maybe the five most played country songs ever. I’ve been thinking a lot about the protagonist of “Neon Moon” lately, but not just because of doom-scrolling on TikTok: because Joshua Ray Walker’s stellar third LP, See You Next Time, feels like it was written by the guy trying to ignore the jukebox and the neon signs and all the things that reminded him of someone. See You Next Time largely takes place in a honky-tonk close to closing time. The characters of the album don’t only lament loves lost, but also the lives of their loved ones, the opportunities that never came and the paths not taken. It’s revivalist country sound — it’s heavy on the pedal steel and horn arrangements — also speaks to that same era of country, where the songs were often sad, even if you could dance to them.”

Read the full VMP review and pre-order the Vinyl Me, Please “See You Next Time” vinyl HERE.