Jeremiah Houston was born in Lubbock, Texas and grew up in the small town of Seagraves. It was in the 12th Street Church of Christ where he discovered his voice and his love of music. He lived in Seagraves until he graduated high school in 1995 and joined the Marines. After his hitch, he returned to Seagraves and after deciding to seriously pursue a career as a singer and songwriter, he enrolled in South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. There he joined a country band playing the drums, one of many instruments he plays. Then he decided to transfer to Texas Tech University to pursue a career in law enforcement. But his dream of singing and writing songs didn't leave him and after graduating from South Plains Law Enforcement Academy, he continued to write songs and play locally around West Texas and New Mexico. Jeremiah decided to go to Nashville and record an album with producer/arranger Mark Dreyer. He returned home with somewhere around 800 copies of that album and sold every one. In the fall of 2002, Jeremiah returned to Nashville to record a second album with Dreyer.

Hung The Moon is that second album. Jeremiah Houston sets himself apart from both the typical 'Texas Music' sound and the bland country-pop drivel that comes out of Nashville by creating a sound that truly represents the 'West Texas' sound, one which combines elements of mainstream country music and Texas attitude. His overall sound is more contemporary, polished and produced than the ragged, edgier sound that's most associated with 'Texas Music,' yet it's miles away from the excessively overmanufactured cookie cutter 'product' that Nashville's been pushing as 'country' music for nearly the past decade.

Hung The Moon opens with the up-tempo, fiddle driven tale of self-determination and decisions that affect others, "I'm Alive." The end of a relationship is told in the haunting, mid-tempo melody of "Go West," while Jeremiah addresses longing though "Missing You Tonight" that has a slight Tex-Mex influence to it. He touches on spirituality in the pretty, swaying ballad, "Better Place Than Life." The mid-tempo "County Line" finds him searching for himself and the piano driven "Nothing Stays The Same" shows the determination of a man trying to 'make it.' "Now I'm Free" is a salute to the men and women in our military from the perspective of a man who served himself.

Jeremiah shows he possesses an edgier side with the balance of the album's songs. "Get Your Share" is a bluesy country-rocker and "Here I Go" has the quietly fierce attitude of a man in search of himself. The outstanding "Astray" and  title track, "Hung The Moon" have a deliciously dark, swampy feel to them, while loneliness is the theme that revolves around the menacing melody of "I'm All Alone."

Jeremiah Houston has a voice and the songwriting ability to successfully straddle the line between mainstream country music and hardcore Texas Music, the kind of artist who, if given the chance, could pump some desperately needed life into the stagnant Nashville mainstream and at the same time, attract some the country audience that Nashville alienated long ago who jumped ship and headed to the fringes. Hung The Moon shows a promising newcomer to the country music scene in Jeremiah Houston.  

Standout Tracks: "Go West," "Better Place Than Life," "Here I Go," "I'm All Alone," "Hung The Moon"

On The Net: www.jeremiahhoustonband.com

AnnMarie Harrington TakeCountryBack July 2004