Concerts & Events

In James McMurtry's new effort, The Horses and the Hounds, the acclaimed songwriter backs personal narratives with effortless elegance and endless energy. This first collection in seven years, on New West Records, spotlights a seasoned tunesmith in peak form as he turns toward reflection and revelation. Familiar foundations guide the journey. “There's a definite Los Angeles vibe to this record,” McMurtry says. “The ghost of Warren Zevon seems to be stomping around among the guitar tracks. Don't know how he got in there. He never signed on for work for hire.”

After all, No Depression says of the literate songwriter's most recent collection, Complicated Game: “Lyrically, the album is wise and adventurous, with McMurtry - who's not prone to autobiographical tales - credibly inhabiting characters from all walks of life.” “[McMurtry] fuses wry, literate observations about the world with the snarl of barroom rock,” National Public Radio says. “The result is at times sardonic, subversive and funny, but often vulnerable and always poignant.”

His lauded storytelling consistently has turned heads for decades now. “James writes like he's lived a lifetime,” said John Mellencamp back in 1989, when Too Long in the Wasteland hit the Billboard 200. “James McMurtry is one of my very few favorite songwriters on Earth and these days he's working at the top of his game,” says Americana all-star Jason Isbell. “He has that rare gift of being able to make a listener laugh out loud at one line and choke up at the next. I don't think anybody writes better lyrics.”

McMurtry tours year-round and consistently throws down unparalleled powerhouse performances.

“James McMurtry may be the truest, fiercest songwriter of his generation” —Stephen King

https://www.jamesmcmurtry.com/