Nashville singer/songwriter George Ducas emerged in the Garth Brooks era of the ’90s with two albums produced by guitar ace Richard Bennett that harkened to ’80s “new traditionalists” like John Anderson and Dwight Yoakam. After two indie albums in the past dozen years, Ducas returns with 10 songs, nine of them originals. Producer Pete Anderson, Yoakam’s former guitarist and producer, surrounds his voice with explosive Bakersfield-inspired honky tonk.

To Ducas’ strong vocals and first-rate material, Anderson applies all the amplified guitars (standard, baritone, and bass), with pedal-steeler Gary Morse and acoustic guitarist Al Bonhomme. On the aggressive shuffle “Mr. Guitar Man” and rocking, Latin-flavored “Cryin’ Time,” both Ducas’ voice and Anderson’s picking flow free. The Buck Owens-Yoakam spirit permeates “Hello Fool” and “Nothin’ Left to Lose.”

The musicians are just as powerful with ballads. On the pensive title track, Anderson – a model of both fire and taste – adds fluid figures between verses, and an eloquent slide break. For the buoyant “These Empty Arms,” his nicely-articulated break complements Ducas’ emotive vocal. The singer meshes perfectly with Reed’s steel, Anderson’s guitar, and Donnie Reed’s fiddle on the reflective “Drifter.” In all, it reiterates an established fact: country trends may come and go, but honky-tonk is forever.

This article originally appeared in VG’s August 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.