Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real: Wasted

Lukas Nelson’s voice is almost his father’s - the high nasal tone, the vibrato, the emotion in the delivery. Willie Nelson is one of the most recognizable singers in the world, and it would be impossible for son Lucas to deny or circumvent the inevitable comparison. So he doesn’t, he just does his own thing. A seasoned tunesmith, Lukas is nowhere near as “country” as Willie, but retains a Texas roadhouse feel throughout his sophomore effort. Channeling Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble, Lukas’s boys rock hard behind his smoking lead guitar work. While not as tasteful as Willie, the boy can make it scream. Overall, the album falters a bit on some fairly generic rock ‘n’ roll, but the lyrics are interesting in an introspective way. “I’m gonna smoke my joint all night, and feel alive.” Yep, that’s Willie’s boy. (3 out of 5 stars)