And I know some of you are thinking, “You did a record about Texas? WHY?”

I’d like to remind you of a few things: Chili. Ruby Red Grapefruit. The Johnson Space Center. Molly Ivins. Patrick Swayze. Dell Computers (even though I’m an Apple devotee). Beyonce. Buddy Holly. Janis Joplin. Willie Nelson.

Yes, OF COURSE Texas’ government is terrible. You think I’d overlook all that? Check out Welcome To Texas! written with Southpaw Jones, and Tiny Texans written with Sara Hickman.

But you’ll find plenty of love in these songs, too, in Lake of Stars and Corpus and Jalapeno Cornbread. You’ll hear great Philly musicians working their magic on this record along with guests from Austin (Tish Hinojosa and Chip Dolan).

So yeah, sure, the record’s “about Texas.” But maybe think of it as one artist’s view of life, seen through the lens of the Lone Star State.

Give it a listen, and even if you’re up in Minneapolis or over in Atlanta or out in L.A. you might suddenly find your imagination rolling down the interstate and halfway to Houston.