For those who aren’t up to speed, I’ll make this simple: When it comes to singer-songwriters, Ray Wylie Hubbard is the man. The genuine article. The real goddamn McCoy. The dude with the key to the highway. Along with any other euphemistic accolade you might want to pitch his way. But hey, don’t take it from me. Take it from Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, Chris Robinson, Ashley McBryde, Ronnie Dunn, Don Was, Larkin Poe, Pam Tillis, The Cadillac Three and the other big shots who show up on Co-Starring to help the Oklahoma troubadour with the lazy, dust-covered drawl deliver this deep dark set of wry, rugged swamp-rockers. Not that a man who writes lyrics like, “Don’t get any on you if you go to Nashville / Don’t operate machinery if you’re on Benadryl / You got to have some faith if you’re in a lion’s den / And everybody turns a bad trick now and then” needs much help in that regard.
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Ray Wylie Hubbard is the secret handshake amongst those who know. Earthy, real, funky, unabashed, his records have been swapped and played on the road by everyone from Blackberry Smoke and Georgia Satellites to Black Stone Cherry. Snake Farm alone could be the red-blooded touring male’s reality-based point of connection. That passion for the man who’s as much a renegade poet as a roadhouse saint brought together an eclectic mix of guests for Co-Starring, his first ever high-profile label release. Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, the Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson, Ronnie Dunn, Don Was, Larkin Poe, Pam Tillis and The Cadillac Three were just a few who clamored to jam, sing and generally be in the studio with the wizened icon.”
