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Weldon Henson

Trouble For Me

4 out of 5

Good Time Tonight, Got To Make You Mine, I Tried The Hard Way, Trouble For Me, Haulin’ Freight, The Good Times Are Still Yet To Come, You Get Uptight, Three Times A Leavin’, Constant Sorrow, Where I Belong, A Heartache For Me, Runnin’ Behind

Producers: Weldon Henson and Terry Oubre

Hillbilly Renegade Records

41:80

Having had reviewed Weldon’s first disc, “Trying To Get By”, I put this in the player with a sense of what to expect. His first disc was filled with really strong songs and good performances. The strength of his first, I hoped, would be matched in the second. I assumed that it would be, but sometimes artists do let you down.

The opening bounce of “Good Time Tonight,” a song that encourages all “to sit back and relax” ‘cause “we’re gonna have a good time tonight”, began to wash away the worry of a sophomore slump. Fun, both lyrically and musically, this sure crowd pleaser of a track, would have even the most left footed among us itching to dance. But in all fairness, the same could be said for each of songs collected here.

Another, I guess you could say, characteristic of his albums is variety. Weldon is sure to include slower songs of heartbreak and loss, such as “I Tried The Hard Way” and “The Good Times Are Still Yet To Come”, that show his feet to be planted firmly in the “Countriest” of all Country traditions. Country Purists will also enjoy the steel drenched “Constant Sorrow”. The much swingier “Where I Belong” tells of honky tonk revelry in such a way that, if true, Weldon might make a helluva weekend companion.

But as he’s shown before, Weldon can also pick up the pace. The “kiss-off” sentiment and tempo of “Trouble For Me” would require a bit more rapid movement on the floor, as would the self-explanatory titled “Three Times A Leavin’” and “You Get Uptight”.

With “Haulin” Freight” and “Runnin’ Behind”, Weldon adds two more songs to the “Truckin’ Song” subgenre. The tempos of both move as fast as you would expect from someone trying to keep the pedal down to make both time and money. However, even these up paced selections are left in the dust by the very good “Got To Make You Mine”, a track that flat out rocks.

Truthfully, this very fine album held only one surprise, that being the somewhat Swamp Pop-ish “A Heartache For Me”. Even though my taste asks for a bit more Huey Meaux in the production, I was pleased to see the stretch.

If this album does nothing else, it should firm up Weldon’s standing in Austin and elsewhere. My prediction, using the growth and maturation shown between his two releases as a guide, Weldon will soon hit his stride.

Thankfully, as a listener, his task is now larger than it has ever been. He now has to sustain this arc of advancement/improvement. But then again, it serves him right; after all he’s the one that keeps creating these expectations

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Weldon Henson