Wade Bowen Pays Homage to Texas on ‘Solid Ground’

“I think Texans get a reputation for doing that way too much you know, being pompous and egomaniacs about our state. This is not that record. It's just a record that gives people a glimpse into where I live and where I'm from," Bowen explained.

Written by Kelly Brickey
Wade Bowen Pays Homage to Texas on ‘Solid Ground’
Wade Bowen; Publicity Photo

When Wade Bowen set out to develop his upcoming project, he wanted the collection to embody the feeling of the love he has for Texas.

Approaching each song as another personality trait of the Lone Star State, Bowen continually devoted himself to the mission of bringing his beloved home to life throughout the authentic lyrics he or his creative friends came up with. The singer worked day in and day out on the concept, but also wanted Solid Ground to represent a new chapter in his musical catalogue without veering way too off from his self-made path.

“Along with just that pressure I put on myself to try to make a unique record, something different from anything I’ve ever done, trying to grasp that home feel of Texas was really important to me. So I think all that combined really turned out to be a fun project that, whether you’re a fan of mine or not, if you’ve listened to my stuff before, this one is going to be different but not freak you out. But it is going to be a little different from the stuff I’ve done in the past and I’m very proud of that. I’m glad I didn’t just settle and make another record you know,” Bowen explained to Sounds Like Nashville.

Bowen treated the record like one big collaboration process, as long as his friends in the country music scene dedicated themselves to the mission of making Texas the forefront. Recruiting heavy hitters like Jack Ingram and Miranda Lambert to add somewhat of a gritty flair to the mix, Bowen called in the right reinforcements for a well-rounded sound and a party-like atmosphere in the recording studio.

“There’s nothing better than having friends involved with music. Especially friends that you know play music for the right reasons,” Bowen said. “You know having Jack Ingram, who’s crazy and awesome and I love him to death, he fits the record, so he should be on it. Same with Miranda, she’s Texas as it gets, wild and crazy and beautiful and all those things. It’s nice to have these people when you ask them, to say yes.”

When all was said and done, Bowen hoped he represented the love and admiration he has for his home by incorporating his music business wisdom with a dash or two of genuine artistry to make one of the most personal records in his career.

“I think Texans get a reputation for doing that way too much you know, being pompous and egomaniacs about our state. This is not that record. It’s just a record that gives people a glimpse into where I live and where I’m from. It’s not autobiographical, but it does really give people a glimpse of where I am and where I’m from and also where I am in my career. You know being older and hopefully wiser and kind of coming of age, really figuring out who I am and what I really want to do from here on out. I’ve always based everything off of 40, 50 year career, not just an overnight success. Hopefully this is more of that,” he concluded.

Solid Ground will be available everywhere on February 9, 2018.