Consumer Guide Album

Luke Bell: The King Is Back [Thirty Tigers, 2025]
Kentucky-born, Wyoming-raised, Austin-groomed Bell released his self-titled, self-produced debut in 2012, put in time in New Orleans as well, and generated a following before he died of a fentanyl overdose in Tucson 10 years later, shortly after which his family revealed that he suffered from severe bipolar disorder. I haven't delved into the earlier records, where some of the songs on this 28-track finale first surfaced, but have little doubt that this saga was doubly tragic because he had more in him. Not many country up-and-comers favor earned titles like "Roofer's Blues," "Irrigator's Blues," "Cold Stew," or "Orangutang." A−