Walt Wilkins - Streetlight (2016)

No one waxes on the glory of life in the Hill Country the way Walt Wilkins does. He might be one of the most under-appreciated of the modern Texas country scene’s founding fathers, having been best known as the writer or co-writer for many of Pat Green’s best-loved songs (including “Songs About Texas,” “Carry On,” and “Poetry”) long before he started focusing on a fruitful recording career of his own. Since then, Wilkins has continued to hone and refine his craft, penning dozens upon dozens of top-shelf, introspective ballads while good vibing with a host of Texas’ most poetic songwriters. His latest effort — or rather, one of his two latest efforts — is Streetlight, a 14-track hymnal meditating on the awesome spirit of nature and the duties of fatherhood. “Ask Her to Dance” feels like eavesdropping on the conversation of a dad dropping his son off at a school dance. In “Wandering,” Wilkins shares, “A cool breeze of river sings through the pines / my feet in the water, watching the dragonfly fly by.” Later, he moves to full-on gospel (with strings!) with “Grace to Lead Me Home.” The album’s closer, “Watch It Shine,” finds Wilkins sharing a particularly optimistic sentiment: “They say that iron only comes from stars, so stars are in my blood.” In a word, Streetlight is unabashedly mature in scope and talent, even compared to the rest of Wilkins’ solo catalogue.