Review- Colby Acuff: Western White Pines
Emerging singer, songwriter, and “outlaw” musician Colby Acuff releases his anticipated major label debut album, Western White Pines, this Friday via Sony Music Nashville. Produced by Eddie Spear (Zach Bryan, Cody Jinks) and recorded at Nashville's Sound Emporium Studios, Western White Pines, once it completes its rounds around the world, shall promptly and swiftly propel Colby Acuff to the top of the most wanted list. This is the artist and the quintessential country album that we have all been desperately searching for.
Colby Acuff’s voice has a smooth, mellow, unassuming tenacity coupled with a genuinely warm, delicate twang which effortlessly melts butter and harkens back to a time long before bubble gum country consumed the airways. Western White Pines is pure lightning in a mason jar and will surely claim top billing on your summer playlist.
Photo by Matthew Barinato
Colby Acuff is the newest addition to the modern/new age Outlaw Country music scene. Joining the esteemed company of Jason Isbell, Jamey Johnson, Zach Bryan, and Tyler Childers. So new, in fact, that with only a couple days to go before Western White Pines sets the world ablaze, he’s not even listed or featured on the Sony Music Nashville webpage. Despite this minor oversight, Colby Acuff is on the rise and once this album gets into the wind and the music spreads like wildfire, those of you reading this review will be poised to energetically proclaim that you were among the first to discover the next big thing in country music.
After previously touring with artists such as Lainey Wilson and 49 Winchester, Colby Acuff will perform through this summer including shows supporting Flatland Cavalry and Shane Smith & The Saints in Salt Lake City, Portland, Spokane, Tacoma and more. Colby Acuff will also perform select shows as part of the Whiskey Jam Tailgate this summer, which takes place ahead of Luke Combs' sold-out US stadium tour.
Frankly, with Ticketmaster prices of late, you can save yourself a pretty penny, if you go see Colby Acuff in concert before he blows up. So, it would appear a tad disingenuous for me to say new as he’s been out there swinging them hammers for a while. Scraping, clawing and singing his heart out for a chance to share his wares with all of us.
If you can’t tell, I am excited to write this review and as my colleague Ryan Bush says, “You need this in your ear balls!” When you do, if you are not already a fan of Colby Acuff, you will become one before Western White Pines stops spinning.
Okay now that the hook is set. Who is Colby Acuff? Glad you asked.
Colby Acuff, originally from Coeur d'Alene, ID. Dove into music at an early age, learning piano at age 5, drums at age 9 and guitar at age 11, before performing for the first time at age 12. In the years since, Acuff has released three albums independently: 2020's “Life of a Rolling Stone,” 2021's “If I Were the Devil” and 2022's “Honky Tonk Heaven.” That right there is a tremendous workmanlike effort of putting out a record a year which, to me, is truly inspiring and seems superhuman. That outlaw life sure ain’t easy!
Reflecting on the album, Colby Acuff shares, “Western White Pines is a project full of some of my favorite songs.” Across these ten tracks, written mainly by Acuff alone, he demonstrates his rugged spirit with lyrics filled with grit and authenticity. “The record is unique in all aspects of the word. You will never hear the same song twice, but you will know that it's a Colby Acuff record."
The backing band on this record is phenomenal. Be it a studio or his regular band, every single musician is better than the next and I simply can't pick a favorite. At first, you might go, “Wow, that harmonica player is fabulous.” Then perhaps become mesmerized by the fiddle or pedal steel guitar player only to swoon over whoever is whistling. The lead guitar thrills and when you least expect it, the piano player gets a solo and loses his or her mind on “Better Man.” The instrumentation is top shelf crazy good, like a runaway train going flat out and gaining momentum with each note and laying it all down to ensure Colby Acuff has all the propellant to properly elevate him above the noise.
There were no punches pulled in the production of this album. Colby Acuff’s Instagram alluded to this album being done live with no clips. Doing it the way the music deserves. Who knows? This could be an important ingredient as to why I found the musicality and production of this album to be insanely good and earning the distinction of straight fire!
As one of the newer contributors for The Amp, I feel honored to write about music. It’s been amazing to be able to participate in the journey of so many wonderful artists. Some stretching my musical palette and others solidly in my wheelhouse. Well luckily, when my editor put up the Bat Signal to see who wanted to cover Colby Acuff’s Western White Pines, despite not knowing who he was, I decided to take a break from writing another review and listen to an already released single, “Boy And A Bird Dog.” It was love at first listen.
Upon hearing the first warble of the incredible whistling on “Bird Dog,” much like an episode of The Voice, I couldn't get a hold of my editor fast enough - nervous someone would beat me to the punch. Even though I was slightly behind on another review, I knew I wanted… No, I needed to review this album. This was the only way I was going to be able to listen to the whole record in its entirety. I just couldn’t wait for it to be released! Then it was assigned to me and suddenly it’s like, damn, can I write a review that’s worthy? As cliché as this may sound, with every spin of this record it just gets better and better like a fine wine. Well, if you are still reading and not actually listening to Western White Pines, perhaps I have failed?
For those still reading, I will quickly cover three of my favorite songs. One could easily pick any other three songs on this album to supplant the ones I have chosen and be equally as pleased.
“Western White Pines,” the album title song and Colby Acuff, before he is done, will have you longing for the crisp fresh air of the Pacific Northwest. Hark Colby’s voice as he sings unrestrained and inspired, filling your heart with wanderlust. He is in his element, ratcheting up his passion and intensity with each refrain. Perfectly complemented with some of the most exquisite sounding harmonica playing I have heard in some time.
“Outlaw In Me,” what a fantastic song. I felt it was apropos given the overall outlaw theme throughout this review. The astounding songwriting and quality of this song alone is worthy to draw one’s attention to the tune. However, I wanted to also pay homage to the spectacular pedal steel guitar. Playing like someone possessed, like there is no tomorrow. The pedal steel guitar player is an out of this world phenom. The chorus is also amazing and a delicious storm in a teacup. “Too Idaho for Texas and I’m too Texas for Tennessee. So, I'll do my own thing and there's that outlaw in me.” “It’s about not being wanted where you want to be.” If that’s true, maybe, at times, we all have a little outlaw in us. Colby Acuff is perfect and welcome wherever he may roam.
“Boy And A Bird Dog” is a whistler. Not since the prolific Whistling Earle Hagen whistled “The Fishin’ Hole,” the melody of theme song to the Andy Griffith Show or perhaps maybe more recently, Kevin Galloway’s (Uncle Lucius) “Keep the Wolves Away,” has there been a song with such gosh dang good catchy whistling to admire and behold. If this story song doesn’t tug on your heartstrings when the song swaps from the boy’s point of view to the dog’s, you might need a heart transplant.
Jennings said in his autobiography: “For us, “Outlaw” meant standing up for your rights, your own way of doing things. It felt like a different music, and outlaw was as good a description as any.” Colby Acuff is indeed blazing his own path and seemingly doing things his own way and it certainly feels very different. Perhaps being an outlaw is as good as any description for someone as talented and gifted as he is.
I anticipate Colby Acuff to dethrone several artists that have been enjoying the view atop the country music mantle as of late. In fact, as I am trying to put a bow on this review, I stumbled upon an Instagram post of Colby Acuff getting notified by Flatland Cavalry’s Cleto Cordero that he’s been invited to play in the hallowed “Circle of Country Music,” The Grand Ole Opry, on 1 August 2023. Watching the raw unfiltered emotion of someone seeing their hard work finally pay off was truly special. It could be that Colby Acuff is well on his way to being wanted wherever he wants to be and at the risk of heresy, an outlaw no more. Luckily for us, we get to enjoy some dang fine music either way.
Find out more about Colby at the links below:
