JOSHUA RAY HUDSON, The Dreams of a Working Man

Having written over 350 songs while releasing just a handful of albums, the ultra-prolific, fast emerging North Carolina based country/Americana must have a challenging time choosing which of his babies to share with his ever-growing fan base.

The ten emotionally and spiritually insightful, melodically glorious, rhythmically diverse gems he picked for his fourth album The Dreams of a Working Man truly live up to his stature as a three time (2020, 2021, 2023) Don Gibson Singer/Songwriter Award winner – and, with the witty, lightning paced romp about a kickass “Moonshine Runner,” Hudson offers some dazzling glimpses of the nimble style that won him 2nd place in the NC State Flat Picking guitar championship.

Listeners new to the spirited, hard hitting JRH experience need not know about such accomplishments to appreciate the fact that they’re listening to an authentic, world wise master storyteller who embodies traditional American values (grounded in faith, family and service), a hard workingman’s ethic and willingness to share honest truths, even if they can make us uncomfortable.

Because it’s military-related, the grandly patriotic, tear inducing homage to our veterans “That’s Why We Stand” is getting much of the collection’s initial attention, even being selected as the official song for Purple Heart Homes. While many great country singers honor our vets, not many have the courage to also take a stand on behalf of autistic folks who simply process life experience and communicate a little differently via the lively, steel guitar tinged “Look at Me.” No telling from the song if it’s autobiographical but it sure feels that way.

Elsewhere, on the heartfelt, impassioned “The Dreams of a Working Man,” JRH offers a lament for the struggling, hardscrabble workers just trying tot get by while also taking it to companies that have shipped jobs overseas and the crooked politicians whose calculated decisions have cut into the so- called American Dream.

Other favorites that make great entry points into the infectious, provocative JRH aesthetic include a whimsical look at trying to support a family working too hard in a blue collar life (“The Wolf”), a wistful reflection on beautiful childhood memories with his dad (“I Had a Dream Last Night”) and a sincere prayer to God on behalf of himself and others like him who are suffering to help them find “The Silver Lining” and the rainbow in the clouds of the great storms of life. Joshua Ray Hudson’s The Dreams of a Working Man is an album that speaks truth and hope (with a lot of grit and wit) to our troubled times and is one of 2025’s most engaging Americana albums to date.