Artist:     Chad Richard

Album:     Worthy Cause

Label:     Self Released

Release Date:     4.26.2019

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As soon as Chad Richard (pronounced REE-shard) starts singing, you know he’s from Louisiana. In fact, he’s a native of the Sabine River bottom, where the river merges Louisiana with Texas along its winding path. Naturally, his music has elements of Cajun, Texas swing, country, and blues styles. This was also Richard’s a singer-songwriter somewhat like fellow Louisianan Marc Broussard, and he’s surrounded by a talented supporting cast.

Worthy Cause is Richard’s second effort and was recorded in Austin, TX, produced, as was his debut, 2015’s Veteran Grocery, by Walt Wilkins (Sam Baker, Jason Eady). Richard plays acoustic and sings for his 12 originals. Engineer Ron Flynt plays multiple instruments while Wilkins (guitars), Marian Brackney (fiddle), Chip Dolan (Band of Heathens, Greg Trooper) on keyboards, Geoff Queen (Kelly Willis, Jason Boland & the Stragglers) on steel guitar, and Corby Schaub (Ryan Bingham) on lap steel. Ray Rodriguez (drums) and Bill Small (bass) comprise the rhythm section.

Much of Richard’s material is drawn from personal experience. He’s loved, divorced, become a single dad, and fallen in love again. The single dad role is the one that’s shaped his songwriting the most. He bares it all in “12 More Days of Blue,” making his adult pain in order to put on his best for his child. Working by day in a chemical plant, he learned to manage his at-home duties and still find opportunities to do solo gigs at night. He met Wilkins at one of these gigs in 2012 and was invited to sit in with Wilkins’ band not long after. His debut followed within a couple of years.

The opener, “Slow Rollin State Line” my well be the standout track as Richard introduces himself and his home town: “Zydeco to the east, Texas swing to the west.” As the album unfolds the influences of Louisiana (fiddle and slide guitar) and Texas (pedal steel, electric guitars) mark the various tunes as Richard weaves his stories with his soulful, emotive vocals. “German Angel” recounts the story of a couple living in a historic German house in the Texas HiIl Country, where the wife believes a ghost resides. Interestingly, Richard narrates from the ghost’s perspective. One gets the sense that Richard must now reside in the Hill ountry as he happily hails one of its iconic towns in “Fredericksburg.”

The title track is achingly slow, allowing every nuance in Richard’s vocal to shine as he humbly pays tribute to the good faithful woman who loves him. Richard wrote “Waters Rise” in wake of Hurricane Harvey, struck by the kindness and empathy that shone through as he sings – “waters rise, but people rise above.” He shows he can relax in his Texas reference “Shawdy and a Shiner.”

Richard’s voice pulls the listener in right away. As the album unfolds, it’s clear that he favors ballads for his narratives, but the pace of the album drags in places. He could clearly benefit from a few more up-tempo tunes like his opener.

—Jim Hynes