Dale Watson - Blessed Or Damned (1996/2020)

Blessed or Damned pretty much picks up where Watson's 1995 debut, Cheatin' Heart Attack, left off. He pines for "A Real Country Song" on modern radio, sings praises for his adopted state on "That's What I Like About Texas" (a good-natured duet with Johnny "Whiskey River" Bush), and wonders at the fate of his chosen musical genre on the moving title track. Watson may have no surprise ace in the hole on Blessed or Damned, but it's nonetheless a solid hand of fresh, invigorating material.