On his debut album Willmon displays an easy, natural style that reflects his West Texas upbringing. When he sings "Dixie Rose Deluxe's Honky Tonk, Feed Store, Gun Shop, Used Car, Beer, Bait, BBQ, Barber Shop, Laundromat," he gives the impression that he in fact knows the kind of town where such one-stop shopping might exist. Similarly, "Wishin' Well," about a small-town bartender who knows as much about pipe dreams as Eugene O'Neill, has a ring of authenticity, as if Willmon may have once or twice unburdened himself to a sympathetic saloon man. And on "She Don't Hate Me" he celebrates the fact that even if his ex doesn't love him anymore, her anger has cooled off. Willmon won't dazzle anyone with his vocal apparatus, but he doesn't seem to be overreaching, either. There's a lot to be said for being just plain likable.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Dixie..."
