Ryan Bingham & The Texas Gentlemen - They Call Us The Lucky Ones

Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen kick up plenty of dust on They Call Us The Lucky Ones, a gritty 2026 record and Bingham's first full-length album in seven years.

Bingham has worn a lot of hats since his last studio record, but the road band that has backed him for the past few years is the real story here. The Texas Gentlemen already knew his songs inside out from countless nights on stage, so cutting a record together came naturally, and they share the billing for good reason. Guitars, keys, fiddle and mandolin all get their moments, and the playing has a loose, live-wire chemistry that is impossible to fake.

The ten songs deal in movement, memory and survival, telling stories of drifters, chosen family and friends lost along the way. "Let the Big Dog Eat" rips in on slide guitar, "I Got a Feelin'" plays like an anthem for hard times, and "Cocaine Charlie" stretches toward seven minutes of dark, novelistic storytelling. "Americana" takes a sly swipe with lines smarter than they first appear.

Through it all, Bingham's gravelly voice remains the anchor, weathered and warm in equal measure.

This is country music with grit under its fingernails, made by an Academy Award-winning songwriter who sounds right at home among friends.