Tyler Childers’ new album, “Rustin’ in the Rain” is a unique blend of music styles, from traditional country to bluegrass gospel. This album features six new releases and a cover; this album as a whole shows the writer’s development as a singer-songwriter. When looking at his previous albums such as “Purgatory,” which takes a true Americana style, and “Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven,” which has a Southern gospel twang, just by listening, you can tell that this album creates a whole new category on its own.

When listening to the first song in the album, “Rustin’ in the Rain,” you hear Tyler’s roots in traditional country music with a slight rock tone with that classic Tyler sound that we all know and love. His next two songs, “Phone Calls and Emails” and “Luke 2:8-10,” appear to take their influence from Elvis Presley who is known for getting his start in gospel and romance ballads. This development in Tyler as an artist really sets him in stone as an Appalachian country artist, a style that we do not hear enough of here in Texas.

Jumping to the last two songs, “In Your Love” has hit some controversy in the previous months with it being a love song which features two gay miners in the music video, causing many listeners to boycott the artist on social media. While “Space and Time” is a cover from S.G. Goodman original, which features Childers twist and twang. This song made its debut on social media and helped build anticipation for the album. 

When looking at Tyler Childers as an artist, we can see a track record of him using music to take on political and social issues head on, while this album does not dive near as deep as his previous,just by listening, you can tell the message is still pertinent. “Rustin’ in the Rain” is a call back to Tyler’s original voice and shows his development as a songwriter shown through all the pieces he has picked up along his growth as an artist.