^ Indies Grey Vinyl

Its no disrespect to the man to not believe, in part or in whole, every word that Ray Wylie Hubbard writes, sings, or speaks and frankly, hed probably respect you a little less if you did. As celebrated songwriters of the outlaw poet/down-home-country-blues persuasion go, Hubbards credibility is unimpeachable. And to be fair, even as a somewhat notorious raconteur, his overall truthiness is a lot more bankable than your average politician or fundamentalist grifter. But fold your cards every time he goes all in across a table from you, or swallow as fact every nugget of wisdom he sharpens into verse or stretches into a yarn without catching the gleam in his eye or wry tell between the lines, and odds are youve been played. But honestly, thats all just part of what makes Hubbard so damn fun. You know, a lot of artists when they put out a record, they go, This is the best record Ive done up to this point, the Americana legend considers sagely after a pause when asked how to best sum up Reel 2 Reel 4 Real, his 20th album in a recording career stretching back to the mid-70s. But Im not going to say this is the best record Ive done. Ill say its the best record Ive ever heard. No matter how many awards and Hall of Fame inductions others might honor him with (hes a member of both the Austin Music HOF and the Texas Heritage Songwriters HOF), Hubbard never swaggers or sings his own praises without keeping his tongue planted firmly in cheek. But after brushing aside his bluff with a chuckle, Hubbard gets real. I am very proud of it, he answers sincerely. Everybody that played on it put a lot of work into it, and it just felt right doing it. Im very grateful. Set for release August 21, 2026 (with the first taste, Cassette Mix Tape, dropping May 29, followed later this summer by a second single, Dog or Wolf), Reel 2 Reel 4 Real marks Hubbards return after a two-album major-label joyride on Nashvilles Big Machine Records. They treated me great, and did everything they could, he says, but it was kind of limited because Im an old guy. Im no longer a country hunk, you know?