The long-awaited Trenton Fletcher album “Tornado Alley” is a prime example of what classic red dirt is at its core. Kynny and me had the pleasure to listen to this album and review it before its release, and it was clear from the start Trenton came out swinging with this one. Now, this is the first album review Kynny and I have done together. We covered each song with Kynny’s take on the song being first, then mine second. Overall, we both really enjoyed this album and hope y’all do too, and we thank Trenton for letting us get early access to this album. It means a lot.

The first track, “Lay It On Me,” is one of the best intro tracks I’ve heard in a long time. One thing Trenton always seems to do well is have some of the greatest song intros, think “American Honey.” This song is red dirt at its greatest. Trenton came out swinging with this track and absolutely hit it out of the park. The gritty vocals, high-energy instrumental track, and catchy lyricism make this song something special.

I couldn’t agree more with Kynny. “Lay It On Me” is a damn good intro track, and I think it really shows the “new age” sound of red dirt music that the newer and younger bands are putting out. If I was explaining the new sound red dirt has, I’m using this song. I think the first song on an album can either make or break it for people, so you need an eye-catcher, or I guess ear-catcher in this instance, and that’s exactly what Trenton does with this one. It has, as Kynny said, high energy and lyrics you want to sing along with, and it really makes for a good intro album.

“Praying for the Rain” is the next track, and it continues with a more gritty rock sound, which I think is Trenton Fletcher at his best. This track proves what I’ve always known, Trenton Fletcher has some of the best-sounding instrumental tracks in all of music right now. This song is very reminiscent of Whiskey Myers to me. It’s gritty, it’s fun, and it’s rough at the edges.

“Praying for the Rain” continues to deliver, with this song being another rock-heavy, fun, red dirt-sounding song. I think by now, just two songs in, I can say Trenton doesn’t miss when it comes to putting out great songs. This might be my favorite song off the whole album. His band delivers a great sound with heavy drums, great electric guitar, and the bass on this one I really like. Then on top, Trenton’s voice is mixed in perfectly. The whole song flows together great.

“Ain’t Fair” keeps the grit of the first two tracks but slows it down. The fuzzy vocals in the intro make for a very interesting sound that really hooked me into the song. This song shows the duality of Trenton Fletcher in a very clear way; Trenton is able to go from hard, upbeat rock to a more slow, grungier-sounding track, and he does it phenomenally.

I am on the same page as Kynny when it comes to “Ain’t Fair.” The static vocals in the intro get you hooked, then the way it switches over cleanly to the regular sound is done well. The way he can go from the hard, fast-tempoed rock to the slower sound in this one is great. I love the way this song is instrumentally. It slows down and gets quieter, then picks back up at all the right places. On the lyrical side, I think this is a very relatable song for anyone who’s gone through missing someone after a breakup. I especially think the line, “It ain’t ok, I’m not the same, and I don’t know what to do. I ain’t too good at goodbyes, and neither are you,” highlights what this song is about.

“Half the Cards” really shocked me with its sound initially. This album, being mostly rock/grunge-sounding, then popping out with a pure honky-tonk anthem, was shocking in the best way. Once again, the multitudes of Trenton are on display in the best way in this album. Not many people can successfully go from rock to grunge to honky-tonkin’, but Trenton sure can.

I think “Half the Cards” being placed where it is was smart, because a lot of people listen to albums start to finish, and after three rock-heavy songs, I think it’s a good idea to throw in a song like this. If I could describe it in red dirt terms, I’d say you just listened to three more Ragweed-style red dirt songs, and now you’re listening to a more Turnpike-style song. I personally like how Trenton can switch his sound up like that. Where a lot of artists stick to one sound, Trenton can hit different sounds, and that goes for his band too, being able to switch it up and still make it sound badass. I really enjoyed this one overall. Between the instrumental and lyrical side, then the placement on the album, it makes for a great song.

“OBS Motel” continues the funky honky-tonk sound of “Half the Cards” and creates one of the greatest tracks on this album so far. I love the almost psychedelic country feel of this song, and I can’t overlook the lyricism here, which is incredibly catchy. This song is probably one of the most interesting tracks I’ve heard this year and is an absolute winner.

“OBS Motel” caught my attention before I ever heard it just because of the name. Then I heard it and was shocked, because I think this proves my previous point of Trenton and the band being able to switch up the sound. I love the honky-tonk sound you get from it, and the key solo in the song is really interesting. I think you can make or break a song by having that in it, and this made the sound of the song great. I love the lyrical side of it, specifically the chorus, “Throw some Ragweed on the radio in my OBS motel, she’s screamin’ every word to Fightin’ For, she knows me too well,” because that’s me and my girlfriend, and that’s also one of my favorite Ragweed songs. This is a song that makes you want to two-step and spin someone, and I really like the way the song is put together.

“Still Here” goes back to the classic Trenton Fletcher sound with a more rock-influenced track. This song is incredibly catchy and an overall good listen. Trenton has great lyricism, and it’s evident throughout this album in the way he manages to paint such a vivid image throughout his music. I’m thoroughly impressed so far.

“Still Here” brings back that rock-heavy side of Trenton’s music and brings us a cheating song, maybe. At least that’s how I see it. To me, I’m hearing a song about a girl running around on her man, messing with this other guy, and he’s talking about how she wanted to leave her man for the narrator but ended up staying, and now she’s dealing with still seeing and dealing with the narrator of this story. It kind of makes me laugh now. I love the line, “Told you I’d be playing all my new songs. Hell, he’s probably showed you a few.” Something about that to me says, “Ah, see, you thought you got rid of me, but your man likes my music.” I know this isn’t supposed to be a funny song, but when you relate to it as much as I do, you kind of have to laugh. Lyrically it’s great, and instrumentally it’s really good.

“Everybody Loves Her” is incredibly different from anything I’ve heard from Trenton before. This song is slow, beautiful, and more orchestral in sound. Trenton’s vocals are on full display here and just show how impressive his artistry truly is. Trenton is not allowing himself to be defined by one specific sound, and that’s what makes this album truly different from the thousands of others released this year.

I love piano in a song, so “Everybody Loves Her” really drew me in. It’s got a sound I don’t believe Trenton’s ever gone with. I’m waiting for this album to drop in six hours, because this is going on my wedding playlist. It’s a sweet love song that mixes the red dirt rock sound with a beautiful piano. I’ll say this, if Trenton didn’t cut this song and tried to sell it to someone else, I don’t know if they’d have been able to pull it off like he and the band did, because it’s already known they make damn good music. Everything flows and is put together great that I don’t see anybody else pulling it off. I agree with Kynny’s last statement; Trenton doesn’t let himself get shoved into one box. He can mix his sounds, and this album delivers a break from a lot of other albums that have come out this year that sound the same front to back.

“It Ain’t Me, It’s You” is a return to the classic Trenton Fletcher sound we’ve heard before, and it’s great. This song is an angry anthem that I wish would’ve been out three years ago when I really could’ve crashed out to it. This is a perfect song for when you feel blind rage and inexplicable anger, and I love it.

“It Ain’t Me, It’s You” is the perfect way to follow up a love song. It brings back the rock-heavy side of Trenton’s music with its great instrumentals and the slight fuzziness over his voice. This is one of my favorites off the album. The lyricism on this one I really enjoy. Trenton is a very talented writer, and I really like the way this song came together.

“Perfect Storm” is once again a beautiful, beautiful slow song. This song is romantic and sensual in the perfect way. This song is one of the best love songs I’ve heard in a while, both lyrically and sonically. And yes, it is a great song to be played at a wedding, shoutout Gage and Cheyenne.

“Perfect Storm” is another romantic song off the album that is perfect for a wedding song. With its softer, slower rock sound, I see this being a big one for Trenton, with lots of people dancing to it at his shows. Then, with the romantic lyricism about a relationship being a “perfect storm,” I really think everyone in a relationship will be a fan of this one.

“Helluva Time” is what I’ve decided is my favorite track on this album. The gritty vocals are great, and of course the instrumental track is fucking sick. This song is rock and roll at its core, and it’s incredible. Trenton genuinely has one of the best bands in the scene, and that is very evident throughout this album.

Following a love song, you need this rock-heavy song that “Helluva Time” is, talking about having a helluva time sticking to yourself while everything around you is going to shit. At least that’s how I take it. I think this might be one of the most rock-heavy songs off the whole album, but I think with the lyrics to this one, you want that. Instrumentally and lyrically, this is, as Kynny said, rock and roll at its core mixed in with that Oklahoma red dirt that makes for a great song.

“Belly of the Beast” already piqued my interest before even listening. Trenton does such an insanely good job at covering this iconic song, originally by Mike McClure Band. Trenton’s sound here is absolutely peak, and the band is killing it as well. Trenton ends the album in such a great way, combining so many different elements of sound to show why red dirt is so great.

What is a better way to end an album than with a cover of a song like “Belly of the Beast”? If you’re going to cover one of the OG red dirt artists, you better make sure you do it damn well, and Trenton and the band do exactly that. This album hits all the sides of red dirt music, so to end it with a Mike McClure Band song is badass, and I won’t lie, I might actually like this version more than the original.

Tornado Alley is a prime example of what red dirt is at its core and its greatest. Trenton combines so many different elements of sound and mixes so many different aspects of music that create such an interesting listening experience. Trenton shows his multitudes and proves himself as an artist that can succeed and sound great in many different styles. This album is going to go down as one of the most inventive and memorable albums we’ve listened to in a long time.

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