Todd Snider

Todd Snider called “Solid Country Gold” “the sound of country music 10 years from now,” a rhythmic, blues-based shuffle augmented by horns, background vocalists, and Todd’s own hand percussion. The sonic discovery was his “a-ha” moment, and he predicted it would send ripples across Nashville.

My Second Rodeo was recorded at Todd’s East Nashville studio-slash-hangout, the Purple Building. The chaotic sounds of passersby and traffic on 11th Street course through the record, especially on the album’s opening track, “Freewheelin’ (Every Day at a Time).”

“Fought my way from just another likely story/to a cautionary tale,” he sings in his distinctive hippie drawl. Trumpets sound mournfully in the distance before building to a euphoric crescendo, setting Todd free. “If Todd had a way to write a farewell note to the people who loved him, I think ‘Freewheelin’’ would be it,” producer Joe Bisirri says.

What follows is classic Todd Snider: wry talking-blues like “(I Got That) Déjà Vu” (co-written with the late country outlaw Billy Joe Shaver), celebrations of weed like “Stoner Yodel Number 3 (Give Me a D for Gym Class),” and irreverent dissertations on religion, social class, and politics.