Midland Release Deluxe Version of Critically Acclaimed New Album Barely Blue Featuring Duets with Kaitlin Butts and Paul Cauthen
“[Barely Blue] is signature Midland: silky-smooth George Strait country gold coupled with seamless vocal harmonies influenced by the Eagles. But with Cobb’s fingerprints on the project, there’s added emotional depth and some risk-taking.” – Rolling Stone
“Barely Blue is Midland’s most assuredly succinct album to date.” – Holler
“Their best album to date.” – Wide Open Country
“Barely Blue proves once again that they can’t miss…a masterclass in storytelling.” – All Country News
“Smooth and astutely produced, the confections on Barely Blue are downright enchanting.” – Qobuz
NASHVILLE, TN (October 18, 2024) – Today, GRAMMY-nominated trio Midland releases the deluxe version of their critically acclaimed new album Barely Blue, adding duet versions of previously released tracks “Vegas” and “Lone Star State of Mind,” featuring breakout artists Kaitlin Butts and Paul Cauthen, respectively. Over the weekend, the band headlined the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre in the US as part of The Get Lucky Tour, which continues through the end of the year. Find a full list of tour dates below or visit their website.
Listen to Barely Blue (Deluxe) HERE
Stream/embed “Vegas (ft. Kaitlin Butts)” HERE
Stream/embed “Lone Star State of Mind (ft. Paul Cauthen)” HERE
“‘Vegas’ is an homage to the wildest town in the world and the intense connections and losses that tend to happen in Sin City along the way. Sung as a duet with the incredible Kaitlin Butts, it feels sonically like a tip of the cowboy hat to early George Strait classics penned by the legendary Dean Dillon,” says Mark Wystrach about the new duet version of the track.
Cameron Duddy adds, “Paul Cauthen is a sonic desperado with a swagger as pronounced as his Texas drawl. Rolled off the assembly line with a soul full of horsepower and no safety gear, he’s someone we’ve admired for some time now. It’s only right that we put out a song together that exists thematically and literally in the heart of Texas.”
Last month, Midland performed “Lone Star State of Mind” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! before kicking off album release week with a career-spanning profile in Esquire and a performance at the Grand Ole Opry where they celebrated the RIAA 5X PLATINUM certification of their hit “Drinkin’ Problem.”
The critically acclaimed new album has garnered praise and attention from Rolling Stone, Billboard, Holler, Music Row, BrooklynVegan and many more and was discussed in Texas Monthly, which profiled the band about the song and how it became a Texas standard in both English and Spanish.
Produced by 9X GRAMMY Award winner Dave Cobb, the eight-song collection finds lead singer/guitarist Mark Wystrach, bassist/vocalist Cameron Duddy and guitarist/vocalist Jess Carson leaning into the trio’s signature celestial harmonies and exploring the tides of loneliness and the stoicism of holding one’s own while imbuing an unparalleled sense of vulnerability that breaks down the facade of masculinity and honors the spirit of loving, losing and moving on.
Earlier this year, Midland collaborated with Orville Peck on “The Hurtin’ Kind,” which appeared on Peck’s new duets album Stampede Vol. 1. They also released a cover of “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” for the star-studded Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty album.
Barely Blue Deluxe tracklist:
- “Lucky Sometimes”– Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Matt Dragstrem, Josh Osborne
2. “Barely Blue”– Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Matt Dragstrem, Josh Osborne
3. “Better Than A Memory” – Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Pete Good, Josh Osborne
4. “Old Fashioned Feeling” – Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Matt Dragstrem, Josh Osborne
5. “Vegas” – Ryan Beaver, Jeff Hyde, Jeremy Spillman, Ryan Tyndell
6. “Baby It’s You” – Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Rian Ball, Marv Green
7. “Halfway To Heaven” – Jess Carson
8. “Lone Star State Of Mind” – Jess Carson, Sean Douglas, Zach Skelton - “Vegas (featuring Kaitlin Butts”– Ryan Beaver, Jeff Hyde, Jeremy Spillman, Ryan Tyndell
- “Lonestar State of Mind (featuring Paul Cauthen)”– Jess Carson, Sean Douglas, Zach Skelton
Midland US Tour Dates:
10/19 – Brownwood, TX – Feels Like Home Festival
10/24 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Union Event Center !
10/25 – Garden City, IA – Revolution Concert House !
10/26 – Kennewick, WA – Toyota Center !
11/2 – San Antonio, TX – Boeing Center at Tech Port !
11/29 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall !
11/30 – Dallas, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory !
12/6 – Las Vegas, NV – The Theater at Virgin Hotels @
12/7 – Albuquerque, NM – Rio Rancho Events Center @
12/19 – Austin, TX – ACL Live Moody Theater !
12/20 – Austin, TX – ACL Live Moody Theater !
@ – Support from Tanya Tucker
! – Support from The Wilder Blue
Website – Instagram – Twitter – Facebook
Credit: Harper Smith
L-R: Jess Carson, Mark Wystrach, Cameron Duddy
About Midland:
Grammy® nominee Midland have sought to reintroduce the Western plains, Laurel Canyon-cum-Bakersfield and Lone Star juke joints to Country music since coming together at a friend’s wedding over common influences and the need for a return to this sort of post-Urban Cowboy Country. For lead singer/guitarist Mark Wystrach, bassist/vocalist Cameron Duddy and lead guitarist/vocalist Jess Carson, the five-times platinum hit “Drinkin’ Problem” set the stage for their critically acclaimed On The Rocks and No. 1 Billboard Top Country Albums debut Let It Roll to unite classic country fans, hipsters and media including Entertainment Weekly, GQ, The Washington Post, Vogue, Esquire, Variety, Rolling Stone and NPR. Based in Dripping Springs, Texas, the trio of songwriters who developed their sound at Tornillo, Texas’ storied Sonic Ranch have been building a following that’s sold-out the Houston Rodeo and Livestock Show, packed a multiple-night stand at Ft. Worth’s iconic Billy Bob’s and re-opened North Hollywood’s legendary Palomino Club for one night only. Bringing listeners a resurgence of their thick harmonies, sad melodies, tart lyrics and steel guitar with their album Barely Blue (Big Machine Records), the retro-Nuevo trio has grown from bar band to an in-demand headliner who mounted their own cruise in April 2024. For more on Midland and tour updates, visit MidlandOfficial.com.