In this week's episode, we're featuring the first album in nine years from Nashville transplant Bobby Marquez, "The Cowboy Way" (2018). Hailing from the deep south of Texas, he moved to Nashville in the late 90s to pursue the country music dream. Nicknamed "Smilin'" Bobby Marquez by WSM legend Keith Bilbrey, his positive attitude has come in handy since his move to Music City: signed to two major labels and dropped from both for reasons beyond his control, with some help from his wife and Texas Country Music DJ Hall Of Famer Jennifer Herron, Marquez founded his own label and did things his own way. Playing by his own rules has worked well for him: winning awards and entertaining crowds worldwide with his easy traditional style that brings to mind the heyday of George Strait and Alan Jackson (he's had songs recorded by both) - "The Cowboy Way" is a solid dose of originality, with highlights including the bouncy "What's The Deal"; a great duet with fellow Texan Johnny Rodriguez on one of that man's first hits, "Ridin' My Thumb To Mexico"; a fun opener in "Honky Tonk" and a dedication to his late father-in-law on "The Cowboy Way". Solid.

In this week's episode, we're featuring the fourth album from a staple at the legendary Broken Spoke Dancehall in Austin, TX - Weldon Henson, and his sensational "Honky Tonk Frontier" (2015). Henson and his band have held down the popular "Two-Steppin' Tuesday" slot at the Spoke for some time now, regularly packing in several hundred of Austin's best dancers. It's no surprise then, that his music is primed to dance to - telecaster and steel-driven original "Texas made honky tonk" as Weldon Henson himself calls it. And speaking of steel - "Honky Tonk Frontier" was recorded at Cherry Ridge Studios in Floresville, TX: owned by Tommy Detamore, an accomplished steel guitarist himself, and featuring co-production by the steeler on the record itself in Ricky Davis. With that much C6 & E9 influence in the control room and in the studio, you know you're in for some hardcore traditional country music. Featuring Weldon's regular road band on the album was a smart move too.. these guys gel wonderfully. Highlights include the pumping "Heartache Game", a pair of good old drinking songs in "Hey Bottle Of Whiskey" and "I Need Wine" and the almost wistful "Just Believe". Can't wait for Weldon Henson's next effort.

In this week's episode, we're celebrating an iconic label: Don Pierce's Starday Records. Formed in the early 50s by Lefty Frizzell's manager Jack Starns and Houston record distributor Pappy Daily (Starns + Dailey = Starday), they signed some of the best purveyors of hardcore honky tonk and traditional country, western, bluegrass and gospel music around at the time. Aften Don Pierce became label president, Starday's product was perfected. Known for their vivid and colourful album covers, featuring easy-to-understand situations and many-a-rhinestone cowboy suit - acts "discovered" on the Starday roster included George Jones, Dottie West, Roger Miller and Justin Tubb. They also gave new leases of life to many veteran artists deemed "past it" by much of the Nashville establishment: Cowboy Copas, Johnny Bond, The Willis Brothers, Red Sovine and many others enjoyed some of the biggest hits of their careers under the Starday umbrella. Our feature album this week - 1963's double LP set "Starday: Country & Western Golden Hit Parade" - reminds us why we should be grateful that the team at Starday gave chances and second chances to some of country music's most revered names.

In this week's episode, we're remembering a name that is too often left out of conversations about western swing: Jack Guthrie. Our feature album this week is Capitol's 1966 retrospective: "Jack Guthrie - His Greatest Songs", featuring twelve dynamite western swingers from his extremely short recording career (1944-1947). Born in Oklahoma in 1915 and a cousin to the famous Woody Guthrie, Jack's family moved around - the age of nineteen found him married on the West Coast, singing and entertaining in cafes and bars while pursuing a rodeo dream. After hearing Guthrie's easy-going hillbilly tenor, Capitol's Lee Gillette signed him to a recording deal in 1944, and the likeable Okie recorded his first and biggest hit "Oklahoma Hills" shortly after. Uncle Sam saw him whisked overseas before he could enjoy his new found national fame, but between then and his untimely passing from tuberculosis in 1947, he cut some sensational sides. With overdubbed honky tonk brushes a la Hank Thompson of the same era, Capitol have an excellent look at a career cut short - and as if Jack Guthrie needed anymore credibility, the original LP has some extremely candid liner notes written by his personal friend: the iconic Merle Travis. Turn it up.

This week we're featuring the follow-up to one of the biggest selling albums of the 80s: Randy Travis' "Old 8x10" (1988). It was of course the answer to "Always & Forever", which sold five million copies and hatched four number ones - it was always going to be a hard act to follow. However, "Old 8x10" certainly did well.. three number ones and two million in sales - Randy got a pay day, don't worry about that. There was a continuation of style too - lots of pedal steel, dobro and fiddle all sit wonderfully around Randy Travis' most unique of vocals. Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz (the duo that brought us "Forever And Ever, Amen") are back with country's answer to "River Deep, Mountain High" in "Deeper Than The Holler"; "Written In Stone" must've been considered at thousands of weddings; the playful "Is It Still Over?" and "We Ain't Out Of Love Yet" add some pace, but the real gem for this reviewer is the stripped-back final track of the album. "Promises" is reduced to almost just a guitar and that smooth baritone and remains one of the most emotional entries in Travis’ back-catalogue. Sensational album.