Album Review: Highway Prayers by Billy Strings
Photo Courtesy of Billy Strings Official Instagram
Bryce Russell | Arts & Entertainment Editor
Bluegrass innovator and modern day guitar legend Billy Strings released his fifth studio album Highway Prayers on Friday, September 27. It’s been two years since Billy’s last studio album Me/and/Dad, a covers album that paired him with his hero, his dad. Highway Prayers is 20 song triumphant return to original songs and compositions that sets some of the psychedelic aspects of his music (that appear most notably in his Grammy Award winning album Home and his last album of original music Renewal) to the backseat to show that at his core, Billy Strings will always remain a Bluegrass guitar man.
I would classify myself as a huge Billy Strings fan, so I’ve been looking forward to this album since it was announced back in early August. If you’re a Billy Strings fan, you’ve probably heard a few of these songs like “Seven Weeks in County” and “Be Your Man,” which he has been testing out on his relentless tour schedule for more than a year. Highway Prayers also includes a few songs that have been released in other places, like “Cabin Song” which was featured on the soundtrack for the 2023 film The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and “Catch and Release,” which was released exclusively on Billy’s YouTube channel back in October of 2022.
As a fan that has seen Billy Strings multiple times, this could be a little bit of a biased review, but I think this is his best album since his 2019 masterpiece Home. Him returning to more traditional country and bluegrass sounds after the psychedelic epic that was 2021’s Renewal is a long awaited treat, and it’s clear in recent interviews that he’s happy to get back to a more roots-based sound. That is part of what makes his music so special. The performances and shows that happen when Billy is playing the bluegrass music he loves and not playing to the hippie mob that demands he play Grateful Dead covers and herald him as the second coming of Jerry Garcia are when he truly shines and ascends to a different level of unique artist. Highway Prayers serves as Billy’s statement that he is a true artist and will play music that is true to himself.
This new album doesn’t just showcase his extraordinary guitar abilities, but also his supreme songwriting ability that stretches across genre boundaries. “My Alice” is a standout track on the album; a murder ballad that sounds like it could be a traditional bluegrass tune. “Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You” is the only overtly psychedelic song on the album, and is a vehicle for his vocal ability. It also displays his talent to seamlessly flow from one song into another, creating a psychedelic tapestry.
Stand Out Tracks:
“Leanin’ on a Travelin’ Song”
“In the Clear”
“Gild of the Lily”
“Don’t Be Calling Me (at 4AM)”
“Be Your Man”
“My Alice”
“The Beginning of the End”
“Richard Petty”
Score: 5/5