Dale Watson - Whiskey Or God

In this week's episode we're featuring a killer all-original album from classic country torchbearer Dale Watson: "Whiskey Or God" (2006). After stints in Houston, Los Angeles and Nashville, Watson ended up in Austin, Texas around the time a record deal with Hightone came to fruition in the mid 90s. Over the next decade or so, Watson established himself in that city as a very popular draw and around the world as a staunch traditionalist whose music hails back to a time when Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash ruled the airwaves. The five or six years leading up to "Whiskey Or God" were tough for Watson - his girlfriend's sudden passing in 2000 was the catalyst for a particularly rough stretch - and there was even very serious talk about giving up music for good. Thankfully, Watson was able to turn it around and "Whiskey Or God" proved he hadn't missed a beat. Fourteen all-original and sensationally twangy tracks made it exceptionally hard to narrow down the playlist for this week's show: highlights incude a handful of two-step floor fillers like "Sit, Drink And Cry" and "It Hurts So Good"; a cut later found on the "Truckin' Sessions" trilogy twangs to perfection on "No Help Wanted" and the cajun fiddle and Watson's Lone Stars rip through the infectious "I Ain't Be Right, Since I've Been Left". "Whiskey Or God" is just another Dale Watson album. They're all that good.