Third, Hayes Carll is not playing a role. The "drunken poet" of the first track is the same man singing "I Will Stay." The artist who makes you laugh with the Jesus joke is the same artist who makes you tear up during "A Lover Like You." He presents the contradiction of the modern male psyche—the desire for freedom versus the need for love—without resolving it. That tension is the engine of the album.
and was the first to bring his sardonic Texas songwriting to a wider national audience. Key Highlights & Themes Hayes Carll Trouble In Mind -2008-