Ben Humphrey
Audio By Carbonatix
“I listen to everything but country” has long been the default response when asking someone about their taste in music, but that’s slowly changed over the past few years. Today, even country music casuals have an Ella Langley or Zach Top track hiding somewhere in their playlist queues. For a music genre that’s long been passed up and written off by a hefty portion of listeners, rising Midland artist Braxton Keith claims country is in the best shape it’s ever been right now.
“I think there’s never been a better time for country music in all aspects of the genre,” Keith tells the Observer. “From rap to bro country to traditional, it’s expanding in all realms and there’s more of an audience for country music than there ever has been, and that’s exciting to me.”
Neo-traditionalist country has steadily worked its way back into the limelight. Music from artists like Flatland Cavalry, Colter Wall and Tyler Childers laid the groundwork over the last decade for the heart and soul of country to retake center stage. As we move into the genre’s next era, Keith continues to focus on bringing the classic country sound of the ’80s and ’90s back to the mainstream with his major-label debut, “Real Damn Deal.”
We caught up with Keith a few days after he played a hometown show with Wade Forster and Flatland Cavalry, which was something of a full-circle moment for him. As it turns out, Flatland Cavalry was one of Keith’s favorite bands when he was coming up in Midland, and he intentionally recorded his first two singles at the same studio they used, Amusement Park Recording Studio in Lubbock. While he was there, Keith ran into the band’s lead singer and a fellow Midland native, Cleto Cordero, who gave him a few words of advice and a songwriting book to help set him on the right path.
The Texas music roots didn’t stop there. Post Malone brought Keith on stage last month during the former’s headlining set at Stagecoach Music Festival to perform Keith’s “Cozy” as a duet. Although the performance was somewhat preplanned, Keith says he was surprised when they played through the entire track together.
“I just didn’t expect him to want to sing my song,” Keith says. “Posty is one of the most humble guys I’ve ever met.”
From the struggle bus to the big stage
As the shows keep getting bigger and he reaches this next milestone in his career, Keith looks back at all the tough, uncomfortable moments with a newfound appreciation. He recalls an old tour bus with no A/C that they’d torn the seats out of and crammed bunks into with the same nostalgic cadence as someone remembering their childhood bedroom – the “struggle bus,” he recalls fondly.
“Everyone we talked to [back then] would tell us, ‘These are the times you’re gonna miss,’” he says. “When you’re on the bus eating pizza with the boys and there are no rules… Now I have my own bus, and I miss hanging with the boys and playing Call of Duty: Zombies and stuff.”
“Real Damn Deal” was released on May 15 under Warner Records Nashville and showcases Keith’s ability to bring out the best in every kind of country tune. From classic sad drinking songs like “Don’t No More” to upbeat drinking songs like “Little Bit By Little Bit,” and the playful in-between of “I Own This Bar,” Keith flexes a wide sonic range on this record, though in traditional country fashion, the influence of alcohol is usually involved.
Lyrically, Keith tends to take the long way around to paint a picture, but it always makes his words more impactful. Instead of just coming out and telling us how long his girl’s been gone on “Don’t No More,” he sings of the patch of dead grass where she used to park, and the fact that it’s all pretty much grown back now, a small but gut-punch of a scar.
Going back to the classics
The main quality that sets Keith apart from his contemporaries and connects him to the country legends he draws inspiration from is his inherent, ever-present authenticity. Many argue that the genre took a nosedive in the 2010s due to the tendency to prioritize success over substance. More often than not, songs with heart were pushed to the back burner or passed up altogether in favor of a homogeneous mix of soulless party music, which is exactly the kind of thing Dallas’ Mitchell Ferguson was making fun of in his viral “Drink A Beer” spoof.
Whether it’s over the airwaves, on stage, or in person, Keith seems to remain a charming, grounded, hard-working southern boy from Midland who collects old shirts worn by country icon Kix Brooks. Keith’s breakout hit, “Cozy,” firmly established him as a witty, sharp-tongued singer who isn’t afraid to poke fun at his own sore spots; someone who’ll mourn a lost lover then crack a joke in the same breath. Whether he’s looking back at a failed relationship from an empty house on “White Walls” or leveraging his southern charm to pursue a barroom romance in “I Ain’t Tryin’,” every track feels hand-picked to the point that they just wouldn’t sound right coming from anyone but Keith.
He admits the album has been a long grind, noting it took more than 100 takes over 8 months just to get Keith’s vocals right on “Mrs. Green.”
“[It’s] the hardest song to sing that I’ve ever recorded, ever,” he says.
Despite the clear dedication to his craft, Keith is quick to point out that the songs are never really done, but he reaches a point where he’s tired of working on them and is itching to let them loose.
“I strive for excellence, not perfection,” he says.
Keith deftly shepherds the listener through the album’s highs and lows with the same steady presence as artists Keith Whitley and Ronnie Milsap. Their respective “Don’t Close Your Eyes” and “There’s No Gettin’ Over Me” records were on repeat for Keith while he was writing “Real Damn Deal.” In the end, he managed to strike a nice balance between heart-wrenching songs and happier cuts, something he says was a struggle throughout the entire process.
“We wrote so many damn songs, I can’t tell you how many we didn’t put on this record. We might just record the rest of ‘em and put out the saddest damn country album you’ve ever heard in your entire life,” Keith says. And we might just have to hold him to it.
There’ll be ample opportunity to boot-scoot to his new tracks at the Longhorn Backyard Amphitheater on May 30 as part of his continued THIS AIN’T MY FIRST TOUR string of dates. Fort Worth’s Chandler Pearson and Nashville-based Caden Gillard open the show, which has us all but convinced that having a snazzy mustache is a prerequisite for sharing a bill with Keith.
Above all, with more than 130 shows under his belt from 2025 and more planned for this year, it’s a wonder how Keith finds so much time to write and record new music. “Real Damn Deal” was only just released this month, and he says he’s already sitting on music he’s even more excited to put out.
“Just know there’s more music on the way,” Keith says. “This is a big year for us, and it’s a big year for country music.”
Tickets to Keith’s May 30 concert at Longhorn Backyard Amphitheater are available now.
