Zane Lewis: Fuel Injected Country
Zane Lewis' self-titled album.
Meet Zane Lewis. He's is one of a new breed of singer-songwriters from the Lone Star State taking his loud and loose honky tonk sound to the big time. With a big, robust voice, Lewis explodes with his own brand of fuel-injected country that leaves you rocking and rollin', pumping your fists in the air, and shouting Whoo-hoo!
He's headlined his own shows and opened for the likes of Dwight Yoakum, Chris Cagle, Steve Holy and Deryl Dodd. Now, on his newly released Zane Lewis (Slant Records), he's hitting the airwaves of national country radio with high-octane Southern, rock edged music.
Between radio interviews, CD release parties and the late night shows on his schedule, I was only able to catch up with the fast-moving Lewis by cell phone. As we talked, I couldn't help but find myself wishing I could hang out with him and get to know him over a couple (or more) beers.
On his newest CD, the self-titled Zane Lewis, Lewis burns through all the cylinders from the get-go. He opens up with big, gutsy songs like "She's Got it Going On" and "Bad Ass Country Band", then takes on love, lust, and heartbreak with "Even a Leaf." The guaranteed hit, "Welcome to the Southland" could be the anthem for every working guy out there.
Got the stars and the bars out in the front yard
And the old muscle cars on cinder blocks.
When the sun goes down, every guy in town
Can be found in the Wal-Mart parking lot.
Talking about football, women and fishin'
A little bit of fact and whole lot of fiction.
Welcome to the Southland.
Open up a beer can.
Crank up the Hank, the Haggard and the Waylon.
That's how we do it down home.
One of Lewis' reviewers, Terry Mathews, sums it up best: "I'm a country purist. That's why I'm hopping on the Zane Lewis bandwagon. He's every inch a hard-core country star. He proves it with every rocked out note. I promise you."