Joshua Ray Walker has built his reputation on poignant, deeply human portraits of flawed yet fascinating characters. On his latest album, Aint Dead Yet, he turns the lens inwardtelling a far more personal story: his own.
Beneath the albums flippant title lies some of Walkers most weighty songwriting to date. Three years ago, when he began writing Aint Dead Yethis sixth studio album, set for release May 29 via Thirty Tigers/East Dallas Recordshe had not yet received the cancer diagnosis that would upend and threaten his life (he is now in remission). Still, that period was marked by intense mental, physical, and career pressures.
Revisiting the songs later to complete the albumincluding rewriting and reshaping nearly all of themWalker, who was then undergoing and recovering from cancer treatment, was struck by how eerily prescient they felt.
Aint Dead Yet stands as a time capsule of the past three years, but from his current vantage point, it also serves as a dedication to the future. Im really grateful to have a second chance, and Im also grateful to have lived through thinking I was going to die. It gives you perspective in a way you really cant fake until youve actually done it; in a way, it was kind of a gift, Walker saysthough sometimes, a new beginning can feel like a lot to live up to.