William Beckmann - Whiskey Lies & Alibis - [CD]

With a voice made for heartbreak and a style rooted in tradition but built for now, William Beckmann brings timeless storytelling into sharp, modern focus. A 12-song masterclass in heartbreak, resolve and reckoning, WHISKEY LIES & ALIBIS is a layered country album that captures the sting of lost love and the clarity that follows. For his major label debut on Warner Music Nashville, Bechmann wrote eight of the album's tracks alongside some of Nashville’s most elite songwriters, painting vivid portraits of lonesome nights, blurred truths and hearts that refuse to quit. The album opens with “Honky Tonk Blue,” a pedal-steel drenched shuffle written by Brice Long and Chris Stapleton (who held onto it for years before entrusting it to Beckmann), that has been praised for being “magnificently country” (Music Row) with an “irresistible urge to dance” (Country Central). Meanwhile, the quiet ache of “Not That Strong” finds Beckmann at his most vulnerable, delivering a direct “heartfelt” (Billboard) reflection on the weight of letting go. Others like “Be Your Man” inject an upbeat Texas sway into the album, and with the tender “Starting Over Again” Beckmann paints a descriptive, Dylan-worthy portrait of a shy heart. But a double shot of cultural-insight sets him further apart, “Borderline Crazy” puts some Latino flavor on a country-rock anthem and “Por Mujeres Como Tú” points back to Beckmann’s blended heritage, a tribute to a vibrant tradition. Each song is guided by Grammy-winner Jon Randall’s finely tuned production, drawing on dusky guitars, rich pedal steel and Beckmann’s instantly captivating deep, dark-honey baritone.