Track listing: Invitation to the Blues, Honky Tonk Song, Brand New Mister Me, Burn Another Honky Tonk Down, Just Someone I Used To Know, Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line, Slowly, Rockin' Chair Money, If I'd Left It Up To You, Detour, Midnight, Motel Time Again, Waltz of the Angels, Birmingham Bounce

Seattle-based Country/America outfit Marley's Ghost dropped their first album in 7 years, coinciding with the group's monumental 40th Anniversary. And what a delight it is! Produced by the legendary Larry Campbell (Bob Dylan, Levon Helm, Edie Brickell, The Black Crowes), Honky Tonk pays homage to a storied history of America's great songs and the songwriters who wrote them: Waylon, George, Mel, Dolly & Porter, and Hank--you know they're special when you know 'em all by first name alone.

Honky Tonk kicks things off with the spirited Roger Miller tune "Invitation to the Blues," popularized by Ray Price. The group's spot-on harmonies highlight the track. But what I really love about this song, album, and the whole band is how they pull it off. All across their vocals and instrumentation, Marley's Ghost simultaneously play with a tightness honed over decades of gigging and dedication to their craft, paired with a laid-back, relaxed feeling that invites even the most nervous, stone-cold sober members of the audience to get up and dance.

Speaking on the album's title track, "Honky Tonk Song," bassist/fiddle/guitar/vocalist Dan Wheetman points out that it's "a song we’ve done for years. We didn’t just stumble across this music; we’ve all grown up with it. It’s been a part of our eclectic set lists since the beginning." The line-up knows and loves these songs and that sentiment shines through both live onstage and as the record emanates from your stereo speakers. Acoustic Guitar magazine captured this essence, noting that the band "showcas[es] the kind of ensemble performances that come only from a lifetime of playing together."

Versatility from song to song is a joy to enjoy. The chicken-pickin' dexterity needed for Jimmy Walker's "Detour" is followed up by the deliberate pacing of Red Foley's #1 hit "Midnight." Whereas Marley's Ghost dazzles with their fretwork one moment, they tastefully hold back and let a song's moody melody take the driver's seat the next. 

For the most part, I'm transported to the mid-70s riding in the back of my folks' AMC Rambler, with the AM radio barely audible over the wind noise goin' down the highway (of course it didn't have air conditioning). In my mind, everything on the airwaves at that time was a classic--some of these very same songs found on Honky Tonk. And that's just it: great, classic songs endure. But rather than put on the old vinyl with all its crackles and hiss, Marley's Ghost has served it up fresh and new in 2026.