Randy Houser review: ‘Big arena-energy on the most intimate stage’

After releasing his debut album, 'Anything Goes', in 2008, Houser has gone on to become one of Nashville’s premier vocalists. He’s become a platinum-selling artist, earned three number-one singles on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and has even built a career for himself in Hollywood, featuring in Killers of the Flower Moon alongside Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, and even starred opposite Dennis Quaid in The Hill.

And as a performer, Houser is quite the talent. He has the ability to make the most intimate settings feel grandiose. Despite performing in front of a capacity crowd of 450, a number that’s remarkably bigger than the population of Houser’s hometown of Lake, Mississippi, there was no lack of arena-sized energy. Houser and his five-piece band stood on an amp-heavy stage with around a dozen amps – an approach he confessed was made in preparation for the occasion at Country Calling.

Nevertheless, it made the experience even more memorable and from the outset, Houser and his five-piece backing band were in fine form as they opened the show with a blast of harmonica punches, overdriven guitars and tight drumming with a lot of emphasis on the hi-hat on a rendition of ‘Boots On’. ‘Whistlin’ Dixie’ was delivered with an A Cappella intro before the five-piece crept in, creating a massive wall of sound. Similarly, ‘Goodnight Kiss’ was performed initially with just Houser and a punchy electric guitar before the rest of the band eased into the rendition.

“I’m like murdering all my guitars when I take them off,” Houser joked to a chorus of laughs before a rich, emotion-filled ‘No Good Place To Cry’, which saw Houser pour his soul into every note and culminated with an extended jam that included his guitarist and harmonica player from Sydney, Australia. The intimacy of the venue left Houser in his element, so much so that he confessed that he felt like “we’re hanging around in my living room” when reflecting on his fondness for the environment, which will undoubtedly have grown further after a big singalong on a cover of George Strait’s ‘Troubadour’.

A performance of ‘Doghouse’ saw Houser admit he loved asking audiences whether anyone has been in the doghouse because of wives looking up and doing a nodding motion, adding a further touch of humour to the set. ‘My Kind of Country’ was filled with distorted guitars, harmonica swells and some dynamic drumming. ‘Note To Self’ saw Houser air a touch of vulnerability as he remembered pondering the moment in the pandemic shutdown that left him feeling a little fearful over the indefinite live music postponement.

Nevertheless, on a track with a rich, two-headed acoustic guitar attack, steady, driving drumming and atmospheric pedal steel, it felt there was a real defiance as the crowd sparked a raucous singalong, which left Houser himself amazed, confessing, "Thanks for singing with me. " Y’all sound damn good." ‘How Country Feels’ packed a punch with gritty guitars and powerhouse drumming; a cover of Alan Jackson’s ‘Chattahoochee’ was preceded by Houser’s joking declaration that he sounds like a redneck in his home state when asking if everyone could understand him clearly.

‘Like A Cowboy’ was performed with a stripped-back, solo acoustic arrangement, initially, but the five-piece eased into the rendition along with the audience, who followed Houser’s encouragement to sing along. Soon after, Houser avoided the temptation to execute a traditional encore and the brief disappearing act, opting to perform an improvised rendition of ‘What Whiskey Does’ on the fly before the euphoria of ‘Running Outta Moonlight’ brought the performance to a close. “I’m Randy Houser, and don’t you damn forget it,” he declared. After a performance like that, nobody will be forgetting it for a long time.