This is hands down one of the best, purest country albums released in Austin this year, and already there’ve been a few (Mike & the Moonpies, Croy & the Boys, Paul Cauthen). Wallace escaped his native Tennessee in 1994 to pursue his vision of honky-tonk glory in Austin. Twenty-five years grinding it out here alongside Austin’s finest roots accompanists (lead/steel guitarist Jim Stringer, bassist Brad Fordham, drum deity Lisa Pankratz) plus propelling countless pairs of boots across sawdust-strewn floors results in Live at the White Horse. Whether rocking one of his perfect, self-penned gems like “The Runaround” and “That Kind of Lonely” or interpreting twangy classics from Marty Robbins (“Sugaree Sugaree”) and Webb Pierce (the Mel Tillis-written “I Ain’t Never”), Wallace embodies roadhouse country like few can. Welcome to an unvarnished, audio-verité account of a typical Friday night at 500 Comal Street in East Austin.

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This article appears in September 20 • 2019.

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Tim Stegall contributed to The Austin Chronicle 1991-1995, and was a staff writer 1995-1997. He returned as a contributor in 2013. He has also freelanced for publications ranging from Flipside to Alternative Press to Guitar World. He plays punk rock guitar and sings in the Hormones.