Last year Clever’s self-titled EP, now folded into this full-length debut ‘Coyote,' laid the foundation for his bold entrance into country music. What first stood out as a precocious experiment in blending his rap and R&B sensibilities with country storytelling now serves as the backbone of the album, giving Coyote both familiarity and a strong thematic anchor.
The original tracks still shine. ‘Billy the Kid' crackles with stripped-back acoustic intimacy, while ‘Trainwreck' and ‘Candlelight' deliver crossover potential through soaring choruses and evocative guitar work. ‘Cowboy Killers' leans into darker outlaw tones, and both ‘Gently in the Night' and ‘Sandcastles' push the boundaries of country with their haunting, atmospheric production. Their presence on Coyote ensures the album carries emotional weight and stylistic range from the outset. Read our original review right here.
What makes new album ‘Coyote' compelling is how these songs—once an impressive introduction on their own—now work within a bigger canvas. Instead of feeling like holdovers, they ground the record and give it real heart. And now that we’ve revisited them, it’s time to dig into the new songs Clever has added to ‘Coyote'—the ones that show just how far he’s pushing his sound.
‘Coyote' wastes no time in establishing its sonic and thematic ambitions. Opening with ‘Amaretto Sour,' Clever delivers a fusion of western pop and R&B in the vein of Shaboozey, while his trembling voice drips with pain and longing. “You’re so far out of reach,” he mourns, as the production swells with bass and twangy western guitars. This isn’t traditional country, nor is it straight pop—it’s a haunted hybrid, a dark love song from a man drowning his sorrows in alcohol and Tylenol, pushing at the very edges of genre in search of something new.
That spirit of rebellion is reflected right on the cover art: the word Coyote stamped onto a beer can, with “Outlaw Music” emblazoned proudly. Clever isn’t riding in the same saddle as Willie or Waylon, but he’s just as dangerous in his own way. Instead of rugged acoustic strums and outlaw grit, his arsenal is heavy bass, R&B gloss and club-country sheen. Where the old outlaws rejected Nashville polish, Clever rejects Nashville convention altogether, turning heartbreak and self-destruction into a new brand of modern outlaw pop.
Tracks like ‘Stuck in It' showcase this sonic daring. With production that feels drenched in a Post Malone haze, Clever paints another broken relationship, singing of being trapped after “she tore it down.” The ticking percussion and booming bass sit beneath darkly tinged guitars, creating a soundscape that feels just as suited to a late-night club as to a desert highway. It’s contemporary country with a pulse that beats as much in neon light as in whiskey-soaked honky-tonks.
But ‘Coyote' isn’t all swaggering hybrid production—it’s also deeply vulnerable. ‘You Didn’t Hear It From Me' strips things back to piano and emotion, Clever crooning, “Clean shaved these days… I’m real good at faking.” The intimacy is heightened by female backing vocals and a lush chorus that recalls Thomas Rhett at his most confessional. It’s moments like this where Clever’s outlaw status feels less about genre and more about honesty: he’s unafraid to pull the curtain back on pain, even when it cuts deep.
Songs like ‘Halfway to Houston' and ‘Dale Murphy' take those themes of loss and self-doubt and cloak them in Clever’s unique production palette. “I’m a rambling man down a broken road… You’re halfway to Houston and I’m halfway to that bar!” he cries, mixing the timeless imagery of the rambling country man with modern beats and textures. Meanwhile, ‘Dale Murphy' cleverly uses baseball metaphors to trace a man’s struggle with identity, Clever confessing he’s no longer the all-star he once was, but vowing to swing again. It’s this blend of vulnerability, bravado and inventiveness that sets ‘Coyote' apart.
Elsewhere, Clever leans into more atmospheric storytelling. ‘El Camino' carries a Mexican-inspired acoustic flair, complete with ghostly whistles and female harmonies, while ‘Cinderella' casts heartbreak in fairy-tale language: “The clock strikes 12 and it all goes to hell.” Even the more traditional-sounding tracks like ‘I Think I Just Passed You' carry his signature touch—heart-on-sleeve lyrics laid over beats and guitars that place him closer to Post Malone than George Strait, while still tipping his hat to Thomas Rhett and Dustin Lynch.
The collaborations and contrasts keep the record vibrant. On ‘Kansas,' Clever recruits Struggle Jennings, rubber stamping his Outlaw status, for a grizzled outlaw duet, the track swelling into a brooding anthem that bridges generations of rebellion. Lines like “Life takes you places, love brings you home” feel both timeless and freshly cut, showcasing Clever’s ability to pull weighty truths from his genre-blurring sound. Meanwhile, quieter moments like ‘Mattress' and ‘By Heart' offer stripped-down reflections, Clever admitting he’s “Mister Wrong,” begging for more than fleeting love, and pouring mid-20s angst into songs that feel achingly relatable.
Ultimately, ‘Coyote' lives up to its name. Just as the animal is scrappy, nocturnal and always surviving on the edges, Clever’s music thrives in liminal spaces between country, pop, R&B and hip-hop. This is outlaw music not because it mimics the past, but because it boldly refuses to fit the mould of the present. At times dramatic, at times tender and always walking the fine line between genres, Coyote howls with heartbreak and survival instinct. It’s a fitting name for an album that prowls through the night, ragged and restless, but still standing strong.
Track list: 1. Amaretto Sour 2. Stuck In It 3. You Didn't Hear It From Me 4. Halfway to Houston 5. Dale Murphy 6. Still 7. Ain't the Only Thing 8. El Camino 9. Cinderella 10. I Think I Just Passed You 11. Reminds Me of You 12. Mattress 13. By Heart 14. Sandcastles 15. Buy One Get One Free 16. Cowboy Killers 17. Gently in the Night 18. Billy the Kid 19. Trainwreck 20. Kansas 21. Candlelight Release Date: October 3rd Record Label: StreamCut Records Buy ‘Coyote' right here
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