A lot of people dream of putting out their own album, but Shane Wyatt did it.  Not waiting for Music Row to pay attention, Shane released his debut, The Last Cowboy, on his own Shane Wyatt Music to showcase his vocal and songwriting talents.  And for a self released album, it’s very good.  But compared to what you hear on the radio or find on the record shelf, it’s kind of weak.  There is a reason why there are still major labels and what they can bring to the table is just what Shane is lacking.

Listen to Shane’s debut, and the first thing you’re going to pick up on is his rich baritone.  It’s not the most powerful voice out there, but distinctive enough to take notice.  And he wrote every song on the album too.  The guy has a good ear for song structure and has some fun wordplay, being that he’s more of a storyteller kind of songwriter.  But he’s still got some growing to do in that department.  It would be interesting to see what Shane could do if he had the opportunity to be paired up with a couple of Nashville wordsmiths.  Given some collaboration to help shape his vision, he could easily be crafting some very memorable tunes.  

And there are some strong songs on the album, including “Waiting for Forever,” “Just Married,” “Happy Hour,” “She Could Do Better” and the regional bar hit “The Big Bad Dog.”  And if they had studio polish, I’m sure at least a few of these would be playing on Country radio right now.  Overall, the record sounds a lot like what Nashville was pumping out in the 70’s, and that’s a good thing.  However, the biggest drawback to the album is the production.  I’m sure Mike Noble is quite capable and did the best with what he had, but the music just seems lacking compared to the lyrics.  Heck, even if someone came aboard to simply rerecord the album, it would do wonders.  That and a better producer wouldn’t have let Shane get away with calling a song, “Whole Lotta Love,” that wasn’t a Led Zeppelin cover.  

Hopefully Shane’s attempt to move the spotlight on himself pays off.  He’s got plenty of potential.  Fingers crossed that a proper label will come along to help him reach it.  So just keep Shane Wyatt on your radar, who knows what he might do next.