Texas is a weird beast musically. Their musical culture is so diverse and offset from the norm that there are at least two separate singles charts just for Texas. It's often a rowdier, more raw sound that translates best in a live setting, but often comes across just fine on the albums. But to cross over into the mainstream, it seems that rawness is often diluted to near-nonexistence. Think about, say, Pat Green's releases for BNA. Mainstream, slick, polished, calculated — a far cry from the five-minute romp that was "Carry On" or even the substantial "Wave on Wave" (ironically, his biggest hit).

BNA's trying the Texas thing again with Wade Bowen (this time with Sea Gayle Records on board as well). Not unlike Green, Bowen already has a stack of indie releases to his name (and, crossing over even further, he co-wrote Green's excellent "Don't Break My Heart Again"). Unlike with Green, however, it seems that the powers that be are letting him do his thing instead of setting him up to be the next superstar. His voice is a fine blend of Green's Three Days-era grit and Radney Foster's calm coolness, as he sets the framework for a sturdy song about Saturday night in a bar. But this isn't a night of celebration. Instead, the narrator's heartbroken (always a fine go-to topic for a country song), shrugging off the party around him and asking, "so why does everybody love Saturday night?" The production never gets in the way, letting a couple clean, uncompressed guitar lines carry the song's easy, moderate tempo. 

Texas music is so often a hard sell outside of its state of origin, but I do get the feeling that the walls surrounding the state are starting to crack. Sunny Sweeney's roped in a couple hits, so why not have another act or two do the same? A little more variety is always a good thing. Right?

Listen: Wade Bowen - "Saturday Night" audio