By: Kyle Willis

Texas natives Beck & Cauthen are turning heads. Formed in 2009, the duo has just recently been featured on NPR Philadelphia's Live Friday and has an album set to drop in the near future. In an indie music scene bursting with variety in style and geography, they are a welcome addition. Boasting a distinctly Texan sound that will easily transition to Nashville's Broadway and beyond, their debut album, Sons of Fathers, is one for picking up.

Produced by Grammy Award winner Lloyd Maines, Sons of Fathers has all the makings of a great Americana album. Beck & Cauthen are sure to catch the ear of a raucous honky-tonk crowd on a Saturday night and transition perfectly to the Fall Sunday afternoon on the porch. The album is punctuated by pitch perfect harmonies, fiddle in all the right places, and steel guitar that you don't notice until it's gone. The real star of the album though is the song composition. Music arrangements and songwriting that mesh this well can't be ignored. An expertly timed solo on the keys leads seamlessly into “I walk alone/ Headed home/ Once again/ Wondering what really went down last night”, on the track 'Out of Line'. Their song 'Flatlands' is the group's opus to their home state and it's seemingly endless highways, the walking blues in the background culminating with “West Texas once again.”. This 10 track album has an incredible flow as a whole.

This album has all the pieces of the puzzle we have come to expect of excellent Americana and something that is decidedly unique to Beck & Cauthen. This writer recommends having a listen and watching out for them to come to a town near you (lucky if you are in Texas). My other favorites are the title track “Sons of Fathers”, the beautifully weaving “Wind Turbines”, and “Only For A Day”, which reminds us that it is “Good to be King/ If only for a day”. I get the suspicion that these Texans will be King, for a bit more than that.

Official Website:
http://www.beckandcauthen.com

NPR:
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/18/139755183/live-today-beck-and-cauthen-the-...

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beck-Cauthen/107791102636426

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/BeckandCauthen

Kyle Willis was born and raised in Nashville and has since lived
everywhere else. He rides bikes, plays guitar, and sometimes goes to
Chicago. He also has a Master's degree and wants a puppy. You can
follow him on Twitter @KyleWillisIs