The Price of Admission

About

In recent years Evan Felker has transcended his role as the Turnpike Troubadours lead vocalist, representing for his legion of fans something more like a saint than a singer. Since he found sobriety after time off from music in the early 2020s, Felker and his redemption arc have influenced and inspired a number of today’s biggest and brightest country up-and-comers, including Zach Bryan, who wrote a song, 2019’s “Felker,” about the enigmatic musician and references the band in fan favorite “East Side of Sorrow.” That this follow-up to 2023’s <i>A Cat in the Rain</i> arrives after just two years is a welcome development given the drought of new Turnpike music between 2017 and 2023, and the relatively short period between LPs also, fortunately, does not point to hasty writing or half-assed recording. Instead, Felker and company sound invigorated as ever, with producer Shooter Jennings returning to lend his light but capable touch to 11 new tunes. <i>The Price of Admission</i> opens with “On the Red River,” a vivid and contemplative co-write with Old Crow Medicine Show lead singer Ketch Secor. John Fulbright lends his pen to “Searching for a Light,” a fiddle-heavy exploration of redemption. Other highlights include “Be Here,” an old-timey jaunt complete with gang vocals, and “Leaving Town (Woody Guthrie Festival),” a road song with a heavy dose of reflection.

via Apple Music