Ahead of the release of his newest studio album, we take a look at what to expect from Charley Crockett‘s Age of the Ram.

Texas-born Crockett is a multi Grammy nominated country artist. Just last year he was nominated for Best Traditional Country Album for Dollar a Day, which is the second release in his Sagebrush Trilogy of albums.

The third and final instalment, Age of the Ram is due to be released on Friday, April 3.

A Prolific Year for Charley Crockett

Age of the Ram will be Crockett’s third album in a year. It has been his third collaboration with Grammy-award-winning co-producer Shooter Jennings, who, as well as being an artist in his own right, has produced music for the of likes Billy Ray Cyrus, The Mastersons, Julie Roberts, Yelawolf, Jason Boland, Billy Don Burns,  and Avi Kaplan.

Completing the Sagebrush Trilogy

Crockett assembled a three-act structure for the story told across Lonesome Drifter,  Dollar A Day, and now Age Of The Ram. ACT I introduced “THE DRIFTER,” ACT II saw him become “THE RUSTLER,” and ACT III embodies his essence as “THE OUTLAW.”

Age Of The Ram delivers an action-packed finale to the trilogy over 20 tracks.

Picking up where he left off, Crockett had already introduced various storylines and more than a few colorful characters on Lonesome Drifter and Dollar A Day, but all of those faces finally cross paths and collide on Age Of The Ram.

A Boundary Breaking Concept Record

It all comes to a head on this boundary-breaking concept record, which finds Crockett and Jennings reverently nodding to the likes of Willie Nelson, Gram Parsons, and Waylon Jennings – Shooter’s father.

The tunes are intentionally rooted in guitar and pedal steel, yet there’s no shortage of twists and turns fueled by piano, harp, and keys.

The Story Behind Age of the Ram

As far as what to expect from the story, Crockett explains, “Age Of The Ram is the story of Billy McLane, a small-time cattle rustler who finds himself in the crosshairs of the Santa Fe ring pursued by bounty killers working for the shadow syndicate, Billy McLane escapes into the crazy mountains where the outlaw will become a legend.”

The first single from the album, Kentucky Too Long, was released in early February.

Across the track, Crockett deftly flicks the strings of his acoustic guitar, plucking the notes with precision and pinning the rhythm in place.

Crockett kicks off a tour this month in Seattle which continues right through to September when he plays the Bourbon & Beyond Festival in Louisville.