George Highfill’s latest album Thank A Trucker is one of those Country records that stick to the genre’s beloved roots in an exemplary way. The album is composed of eleven tracks, all of which can serve as a lesson in Country music on its own. From the light hearted and wholesome nature of the lyrics to the clarity and precision of the instruments playing, this album isn’t afraid to take us back to what we love and admire about the genre.
The first track, If You Got It Thank a Trucker, reminds us to thank truckers for the small details of our everyday lives. I was already hooked when I heard this song due to George’s wonderful vocals and the relatively faster tempo of the song that made it bouncy and made me wanna dance. The second song, Long, Long Cold Hard Winter, shows an amazing use of a fiddle with heavier drums and a tiny bit of blues influence. The guitar work on this album and the solid instrumental arrangements are nothing short of brilliant. The third song, Too Sad to Sing, sounded even more bluesy and sad. Although the instrumental is calm and soothing, the lyrics and the vocal techniques George uses (wailing and cries) made me shiver and almost shed a tear…especially when I heard the backing female vocals too.
The next song, I’m Not Making a Living, brings back the upbeat and uptempo drums and guitars but with a happier-sounding fiddle this time. The song’s got this happy and uplifting vibe and the way the fiddle and guitar interplay with each other felt so sweet. Honky Tonk You, Heartbroken Me is a flirty and theatrical kind of song thanks to George’s storytelling method of singing which transports you into the world and emotions of the story of the “Honky Tonk” girl and feel as heartbroken as the song’s main character. I’m Counting on You, sorta continues with the flirty attitude in the singing but it feels more melody-driven and the vocals get interrupted by some amazing fiddle lines that one can’t help but appreciate here. Once again the guitar and the fiddle have a solo battle/instrumental break that will help the song be more memorable and stick in your memories, as if it wasn’t already awesome from the verses and chorus before it.
Two Merles and a Buck shows some more gritty and raspy vocals from George, and I think it’s just an arrangement gimmick, because he had this little rasp in all the previous song, but this time around it just shines and instills more emotion in the listener because of how front and center the vocals are placed in the song. Ants in My Pants is a more upbeat track, thanks to the fiddle and the dancy rhythm…this was the one song that actually made me get up my chair. This is the exemplary kind of song I would think of when I think of Country music, no mutilations or additions to an already beautiful and rich genre. Rowdy, Will and Me has some more of the storytelling, which is just one of the many methods George writes his vocal lines, and I’m totally here for it. This is my favorite track on the whole record and it’s because of, you guessed it, the wonderful harmonica/accordion sound.
The Only Reason is a beautiful and tear jerking homage that George pays his parents. The way he starts every line with the phrase “the only reason” adds more emphasis and counts the countless forms of love George’s parents showed him and how they inspired him to have a family like theirs. I loved the wholesomeness of this song so much. The Bulldogger is the powerful closer that this beast of an album needed. It’s by all means a song for the bars, the big concerts, the Country radio, and the rodeos. The guitar work and the vocal lines make this a masterpiece worth having a dance to. What a fantastic way to end a fantastic record. In conclusion, this album is a testament to how Country is a genre that’s played best with the simple elements that make up the genre, and George Highfill successfully made a Country staple with Thank A Trucker, so go check it out and I’m sure you won’t regret it.
