RTXCLUSIVE DEBUT: Josh Ward’s Honk Tonk Heartbreak Song ‘More Than I Deserved’
Are we entering a new golden age in Texas Country Music? Country stalwarts including Cody Johnson, Aaron Watson -- alongside Jon Wolfe, Mike and the Moonpies, Zane Williams, Curtis Grimes, Randall King (who just dropped his hardcore, self-titled, country album on Friday, April 27), and, of course, Josh Ward are reinvigorating the country side of Texas Music.
Following King's release last Friday, country music sympathizers everywhere are in for another treat this week. Ward's More Than I Deserve will be out May 4th. The album’s first single “All About Lovin’” is already sitting inside the Top 30 on the Texas charts after only 3 weeks to radio.
Press play to hear our exclusive debut of "More Than I Deserved." A song full of love, heartbreak, and shattered hopes of redemption, set to steel guitar.
In celebration of the new album, Josh Ward’s Tonk Fest & CD Release Party will be Saturday, May 5th at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Conroe, Texas. The inaugural event will feature performances from Josh Ward, Jarrod Birmingham and Jake Worthington.
“All grit and no quit.” These are the deeply rooted words that Josh Ward lives by to an absolute fault. An anchored mindset that has led this Texas country music rising star from a drifter’s adolescence to the jeopardous game of the rodeo circuit to the punishing toil of the Texas oil fields, and on into the fickle arms of the music business. Some might argue whether it is having nine consecutive No. 1 hit singles in Texas under his belt that has garnered him staying power, or that he is killing it in the social media world with over 2 million views on YouTube and over 3 million streams globally on Spotify. Maybe it’s his 3 venerated album releases, or maybe because he can not only bat a full house on a 200 plus dates a year touring average, but also rope in crowds on a first time performance in an unfamiliar town. While impressive, all those distinctions can come and go in the world of music. The reason for his staying power turns out to be quite a simple one. And that is because Josh Ward is country music blood to bone, and both Josh Ward and country music are simply not going to go away.
More Than I Deserve marks Ward’s fourth full length album release and with the philosophy of “don’t fix what isn’t broken” Ward went right back into the Rosewood studios where he recorded all his previous releases and joined producer Greg Hunt once again behind the board to create the next dimension of Josh Ward country music.
The new album is 11 tracks strong featuring the signature instrumentation from John Carroll (Cory Morrow) on guitar, Nate Coon (Aaron Watson) on drums, Milo Deering (The Eagles) on acoustic guitar, steel, dobro, fiddle, viola and mandolin, and Terry McBride (McBride and The Ride) on backing vocals and also writer of three of the tracks.
The first single “All About Lovin’” (written by Brice Long, Terry McBride and Chris Stapleton) tells you everything you need to know about this album, a sexy tonkafied driver of a song that guarantees you’ll be lacing up your dancing shoes by the time you hit the chorus. “Home Away From Home” is country piled on top of more country, and is, as the song says, “a two steppin’ juke box heaven.” While Ward has never been afraid to sing other people’s songs due to his belief that a good song simply needs to be heard, his own savvy for the art just so happens to be represented on three of the most powerful tracks. “A Cowboy Can” is the true grit of this album and is what Ward says best describes himself. “One More Shot Of Whiskey” is a sobering tale told with 90 proof conviction, and then there is “More Than I Deserved” ringing out with its vulnerable steel and head hanging resolve.