At Home on the Range—and in the Studio By Connie Strong Some cowboys never sing; some singers never “cowboy.” Rarely do you find an authentic country artist that is able to sing about the life he’s led in a way so pure and honest that the listener believes every word. In his debut album, “The Morning After,” Buck Johnson takes an introspective look into the heart of a real cowboy, and extracts those parts that are essential elements to every genuine, bona fide country song: the loves, the wild side, the regrets and loss, and yes, even the redemption. Buck says, “Before we ever started, I had a concept in mind. It’s the metaphorical story of the tall, dark stranger. It’s about the confident side of a cowboy—the side that has the ladies. But he also has the fall—the lonely side that can come of that. I've always loved the old concept albums like Willie’s ‘Red Headed Stranger,’ so I organized the songs to tell the story.” From beginning to end, Buck’s candid look at the life of a cowboy through the eyes of a songwriter is a shining example of an artist who hit the studio knowing exactly what he wanted; and the outcome makes every drop of sweat worth the effort. Produced by John Beland Recorded at Tyler Trax Studio in Brenham, Texas Mastered by Bill Douglass at Royal Recording in Colorado Springs, Colorado www.buckjohnson.net