Given the title Note to Self, perhaps it shouldnt come as a surprise that this 2022 album finds Randy Houser turning inward, offering modest, mellow bits of introspection. Apart from "Out and Down," which gallops along to a train-track rhythm and twanging guitar reminiscent of prime Waylon Jennings, and the clomping stomp of "Workin Man," the volume is muted throughout Note to Self. The subdued setting pushes Housers impassioned, soulful delivery toward the forefront, which helps focus this straight-ahead, no-nonsense country. Stylistically, Houser doesnt attempt much new -- this is neither a throwback nor traditional country, its a continuation of the post-Garth sounds that have been at the heart of country music since the 1990s -- but its his warm, inviting touch that gives the album its empathetic character. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Rovi