In James McMurtry’s most recent effort, The Horses and the Hounds (2021 New West Records), the acclaimed songwriter backs personal narratives with effortless elegance (“Canola Fields”) and endless energy (“If It Don’t Bleed”). This long awaited (seven years) studio album, the follow-up to Complicated Game, spotlights a seasoned tunesmith in peak form as McMurtry turns toward reflection (“Vaquero”) and revelation (“Blackberry Winter”). Familiar foundations guide the journey. “There’s a definite Los Angeles vibe to this record,” McMurtry says. “The ghost of Warren Zevon seems to be stomping around among the guitar tracks. Don’t know how he got in there. He never signed on for work for hire.”
The Horses and the Hounds is a reunion of sorts. McMurtry recorded the new album with legendary producer Ross Hogarth (John Fogerty, Van Halen, Keb’ Mo’) at Jackson Browne’s Groove Masters in Santa Monica, California. McMurtry and Hogarth first worked together 33 years ago, when Hogarth was a recording engineer in the employ of John Mellencamp at Mellencamp’s own Belmont Studios near Bloomington, Indiana. Hogarth recorded McMurtry’s first two albums, Too Long in the Wasteland (Mellencamp produced) and Candyland for Columbia Records and later mixed McMurtry’s first self-produced album, Saint Mary of the Woods, for Sugar Hill Records.
James McMurtry’s song, “Canola Fields,” from that album garnered a nomination for The Americana Music Association’s "2021 Song Of The Year.” The Horses and the Hounds collected spots on numerous “BEST OF 2021” lists, including (but not limited to) National outlets; Rolling Stone & Rolling Stone Country, Rolling Stone Staff Picks, Magnet Magazine, All Music, No Depression Critic’s List, No Depression Photographer’s Favorites and No Depression’s Readers Favorites, Twangville: Reader’s Pick as the favorite release of 2021. The Horses and the Hounds took 2nd place in Americana Highways's "Favorite 10 Albums,” & "Editor’s Pick” lists with inclusion in the top dozen, topping it off with Album of the Year for that outlet. The album was to be found on Best of 2021 lists in Roughstock, Saving Country Music, Roots Radio, Taste of Country (#5) and in both American Music Show and The Musical Divide (at #2). Major Dailies/Weeklies: Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Lexington Herald-Leader, Houston Chronicle, Quad-Cities, Iowa, Desert Star, CA - to name a handful - all within the Top 5.
McMurtry’s critically lauded first album Too Long in the Wasteland (1989) was produced by John Mellencamp and marked the beginning of a series of acclaimed projects for Columbia and Sugar Hill Records. In 1996, McMurtry received a Grammy nomination in the category Long Form Music Video for Where’d You Hide the Body (produced by Don Dixon). Additionally, It Had to Happen (1997) received the American Indie Award for Best Americana Album.
In 2004, McMurtry released the universally lauded Live in Aught-Three on Compadre Records. Next, the critically acclaimed Childish Things (2005) spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Americana Music Radio Chart, winning the Americana Music Association's Album of the Year while the cut “We Can’t Make It Here” won Song of the Year. McMurtry received more three AMA nominations (including Artist of the Year) for 2008’s Just Us Kids. That album marked his highest Billboard 200 chart position in more than nearly two decades.
In 2009, Live in Europe was released, capturing the McMurtry band’s first European tour and extraordinary live set. Along with seasoned band members Ronnie Johnson, Daren Hess, and Tim Holt, the disc features special guests Ian McLagan (The Faces) and Jon Dee Graham (True Believers, Skunks). Also, for the first time ever, video of the band’s live performance is available on the included DVD.
Fans and critics alike faced the six-year wait for McMurtry’s new studio album offering, Complicated Game (2015). No surprise the LP garnered universal acclaim. “At a stage where most veteran musicians fall into a groove or rut, McMurtry continues to surprise,” Texas Music magazine noted. “[Complicated Game] is a collection of narratives as sharply observed as any from McMurtry, but with a contemplative depth that comes with maturity.” The album doubled down on literate storytelling as longtime enthusiasts expected. Recall high watermarks past: “Childish Things,” “Choctaw Bingo,” “Peter Pan,” “Levelland,” and “Out Here in the Middle” only begin the list. (Yes, Robert Earl Keen covered those last two, “Levelland” remaining a live staple.)
Folks noticed Complicated Game delivering McMurtry’s trademark story songs time and again (“Copper Canteen,” “Deaver’s Crossing”). “[McMurtry] takes listeners on a road trip of unprecedented geographic and emotional scope,” No Depression raves. “Lyrically, the album is wise and adventurous, with McMurtry – who’s not prone to autobiographical tales – credibly inhabiting characters from all walks of life.” “Fuses wry, literate observations about the world with the snarl of barroom rock,” National Public Radio (NPR) echoes. “The result is at times sardonic, subversive and funny, but often vulnerable and always poignant.”
The poignant lyrics of McMurtry’s immense catalog still ring true today. In 2011, “We Can’t Make It Here” (from Childish Things) was cited among The Nation’s “Best Protest Songs Ever.” Bob Lefsetz wrote that it “has stood the test of time because of its unmitigated truth.”
James McMurtry with special guest Betty Soo at Duling Hall on Saturday, February 7, 2026.
Doors: 7:00 PM, Show: 8:00 PM | Duling Hall
Come enjoy a full bar and a night of live music.
All Ages | Cash or card accepted at door.