Adam Carroll

I Walked in Them Shoes

This is an exciting time for Adam Carroll fans. The Texas troubadour is releasing a new album on April 12, 2019. They don’t come around often so it’s time for a humble celebration. I Walked In Them Shoes is the ninth release for the artist and follows an all-star tribute album that released in 2016. These songs are quintessential Adam Carroll, they are songs that hold the power of poetry. I Walked In Them Shoes doesn’t rock, it tumbles along Texas style. 

I Walked In Them Shoes isn’t unadorned with the usual trappings.

Adam Carroll is best served lyrics first. That’s where the magic is. The ten songs on the album recorded in one sitting. Adam provided the vocals, guitar, harmonica, keys, and being a two-man operation, he learned the harmonium. Producer Lloyd Maines added pedal steel, rhythm and slide guitar. Pat Manske recorded, mixed, and mastered the album.

Adam Carroll wrote all these songs. They are personal and twenty-one years from his 1998 debut, they are consistently good and should come with a warning label. Adam Carroll compresses a lifetime’s worth of words and emotions into a song. They are not for the faint of heart and you’ll want to pay attention. Carroll gets inside. He tells your story. He makes you smile.

His songs are a friend when you need them. 

Adam and Chris Carroll have this original piece of pottery, a tortilla warmer gifted from a friend. In that old crock they’ve placed bits of song, sparks of poem, and sprinkles of magic. Like a potter is want to do, the songs emerged into hard durable forms. Four of the songs are co-written. The title song written with Paul Cauthen and Brian Rung, (Brian also co-wrote “Caroline”).

“Crescent City Angels” was written with Michael O’Connor and Chris Carroll. “The Last Word” was written with Dustin Welch and Halleyana Finlay Welch. Love, friendships, and loss set to a waltz complete the process. Personal favorites include “This Old Garage” and “Caroline” for balancing straightforward storytelling and beautiful melody.

Adam Carroll is a national treasure. The songs from I Walked In Them Shoes will stand the test of time and weave themselves into the fabric. Pull up a chair and give a hard listen.

• Viola Krouse