There's a reason why Chris Knight has been given the title of honorary Texan by fans and peers alike. He has a method that fits the maverick writing style that's been the calling card for more than a few well-regarded artists who call Texas home. Kentucky born Chris Knight just raised the stakes for everybody with the release of his fourth album, Enough Rope. With a little help from Gary Nicholson and Ray Kennedy, Knight again breathes life into the outlaws, badasses and fringe dwellers living in his mind. The imagery is spectacular. On Jack Blue, he sings, " It was two on one but Jack evened the score/ paramedics packed one of 'em out the door". Chris himself jokes about having a lower body count this time around, but the grittiness and power of his words and vocals have gained tremendously in strength. Even when he shows a kindhearted touch, like on Saved By Love or Too Close to Home, there is potency in the sentiment and in it's delivery. You can feel the artist's homesickness in the open letter, To Get Back Home, when he howls, "21 days out on the road/ the van broke down in a foot of snow.I wanna let you know/ I'm just doing my best to get back home". William's Son revisits a song from his first album where now the son of a slain misfit struggles to break the vicious cycle and become his own man. Chris Knight's Enough Rope is more than enough album, with every song as important and powerful as the one before it. This is clearly the best disc I have heard this year, from Texas, Katmandu or anywhere else for that matter.
---Glenn Taylor / Hill Country Radio network