Ryan Bingham - Junky Star

Of all the pleasures derived from the excellent film Crazy Heart, perhaps the most unexpected was Ryan Bingham's Oscar-winning song "The Weary Kind". Co-written with the soundtrack's producer -- the legendary T-Bone Burnett of Raising Sand and O Brother fame -- the song became the sound and the centerpiece of the movie, a gruff, scruffy but tender-hearted ballad of simple folksy elegance with Bingham's bourbon-soaked, nicotine-stained voice providing just the right amount of gravelly weight. With the song's success, Bingham rightfully found a new slew of fans drawn to his own soulful style of gritty, rootsy Lone Star twang and roughhewn barstool rock on albums such as last year's Roadhouse Sun and 2007's breakout Mescalito.

Bingham's new Junky Star, due August 31 via Lost Highway, continues his Crazy Heart collaboration with producer Burnett on twelve new self-penned songs that steadfastly defy the sanitized Nashville drek dressed up in shined shitkickers and starched shirts. Tracks such as the lead-off "Depression" have a dusty swagger and bleary-eyed but steady gaze as Bingham's fine backing band The Dead Horses hijack each note and proceed to drive them off-road with a commanding jolt. Burnett understands the power on display and thankfully keeps the reins loose, capturing the raw naturalness of the sound without dampening it. Lodged firmly between Townes van Zandt, Springsteen's Nebraska and The Stone's Exile, Junky Star is a solid, supremely confident step forward for an artist who's time has -- finally -- clearly come. Highly recommended.

Ryan Bingham - "Depression" (from the album Junky Star)

Ryan Bingham - "Hallelujah" (from the album Junky Star)