Rising songwriter Ben Burgess will release his long-awaited debut album ‘Tears the Size of Texas' on September 30. For the award-winning wordsmith, this moment has been a lifetime in the making. We were blown away by the title track when we heard it a few weeks ago and you can listen to it below if you missed it.
“I'd given up on the dream of being an artist,” Burgess admits. “I always wanted to do it and felt like I could, but the pieces never aligned.” Today, the chapter turns as Burgess transitions from behind the song to behind the mic on the smart, meticulously penned 10-track that captures his artistic grit, what Billboard describes as a “grimy believability; a mix of country, Western, rock, gospel, and modernity, all rendered from a sly, worldly perspective.”
“I feel like you can hear this triumphant thing on the songs that says, I'm here,” Burgess beams. “It was about just letting go and finding my lane.”
Now that he's got his shot, it's safe to say the Texas native capitalized on it, earning his stripes with Big Loud studio wizard and platinum-manufacturer Joey Moi, who produced every track but one. On the record, Burgess pours his heart into twangy weepers like already released, critically acclaimed standout ‘Tears the Size of Texas' lays down supreme vocal harmonies on the tent revival throwdown ‘Sick and Tired' gets fiery and feisty on the blatant kiss-off ‘Kill A Man' and tells the (sort of) true story of how he ‘Started A Band.'
The cover of the record (see below) tells the full story; classic cowboy songs and two murder ballads where the stories are true and the people, places, and names have changed. “It's just me,” Burgess shares. “It's where I grew up, what I've seen; it's three or four-minute movies every track you turn. It's a world and a sound.”
Tears the Size of Texas Tracklist
1. Tears the Size of Texas (writers: Ben Burgess, Josh Kerr)*
2. White Picket Fence (writers: Ben Burgess, Kevin Kadish)*
3. When We Die (writers: Ben Burgess, Josh Kerr)*
4. Jackson (writers: Ben Burgess, Brandy Clark, Jessie Jo Dillon, Jesse Frasure)*^
5. High Road (writers: Ben Burgess, Ryan Beaver, Kevin Kadish, Randy Montana)*
6. Heartbreak (writers: Ben Burgess, Jacob Durrett, Ashley Gorley)*
7. Kill A Man (writers: Ben Burgess, Kevin Kadish)*
8. Sick and Tired (writers: Ben Burgess, Jacob Davis, Josh Kerr)*
9. Started A Band (writers: Ben Burgess, Chris LaCorte, Hunter Phelps)*
10. Ain't Got No Phone (written by Ben Burgess)+
* produced by Joey Moi
+ produced by Ben Burgess
^ co-produced by Jesse Frasure
