Flatland Cavalry - Humble Folks

Humble Folks is the sound of a West Texas band finding its voice, the 2016 debut that put Flatland Cavalry on the map with fiddle, dust and plenty of heart.

Formed in Lubbock in 2012 by frontman Cleto Cordero and Jason Albers, who had been roommates at Midland College, the band had its full line-up in place by 2014. Their first full-length quickly earned comparisons to Turnpike Troubadours, a real mark of respect in Texas country circles, and climbed onto the Billboard country and Americana album charts. It was a confident first step for a band that would go on to make five more albums.

Cordero's songwriting is the star of the show, plain-spoken and quietly poetic. One I Want and A Good Memory open the record with warm, easygoing charm, February Snow shows his gentler side, and the closing title track pays tribute to the kind of ordinary, hardworking people who fill so many of his songs. Throughout, the fiddle weaves around the guitars and harmonies, giving the album its dusty, front-porch character and its unmistakable sense of place.

For anyone who loves Texas country with a songwriter's touch, this is where the Flatland Cavalry story begins, and it sounds right at home on vinyl.