When Tyler Childers announced he was putting out a new record in late 2023, the collective intake of breath from the country music world was audible. His previous project, Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?, was a massive, experimental triple-album that left some fans scratching their heads and others calling it a masterpiece of gospel-gone-psychedelic. So, when Tyler Childers Rustin' in the Rain finally dropped on September 8, 2023, everyone was looking for a return to form.
What they got was something way more specific.
Basically, Tyler didn't just write a bunch of songs. He wrote a pitch. He told the Associated Press that he conceptualized this entire seven-song collection as if he were a songwriter in the 1950s or 60s trying to get Elvis Presley to cut his tracks. Once you know that, the whole album clicks. It’s got that rockabilly shuffle, that "juke-joint" piano energy, and a heavy dose of the "King’s" sentimental soul.
The Mule and the Machine: Breaking Down the Sound
The title track, "Rustin' in the Rain," kicks the door down with a boogie-woogie blues riff that feels like a freight train jumping the tracks. It’s loud. It’s fast. Most importantly, it’s a metaphor that only a guy from Lawrence County, Kentucky, could pull off with a straight face.
Childers compares himself to a piece of old farm machinery—specifically a plow—begging to be put to work by his lover. He’s "yearning for the turning" of the soil. Honestly, it’s one of the most clever bits of songwriting in modern country because it works as both a literal ode to rural labor and a deeply intimate confession. He’s telling his wife, Senora May, that without her "love light," he’s just sitting in the field getting covered in rust.
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It’s not just a solo effort, either. The Food Stamps—his long-time backing band—are firing on all cylinders here. You’ve got:
- Chase Lewis tearing up the piano keys like he’s playing in a Memphis dive bar in 1956.
- James Barker and Jesse Wells trading licks that blur the line between traditional country and early rock 'n' roll.
- Craig Burletic holding down that "thump" on the double bass that gives the record its heartbeat.
That Music Video Everyone Talked About
You can't talk about this album without talking about "In Your Love." Before the full record even hit shelves, the music video for this song went viral for all the right and, unfortunately, some of the wrong reasons.
Directed by Bryan Schlam and written by the legendary Appalachian author Silas House, the video tells a heartbreaking story of two gay coal miners in the 1950s. It deals with harassment, the grit of working a farm, and the devastating reality of black lung disease.
Some people in the traditional country sphere got riled up. They called it "preachy" or "political." But if you actually listen to the lyrics, it’s just a song about the "hard work of true love." Tyler has been pretty open about the fact that he wrote it for his cousin, who he considers a brother, because he wanted him to see himself reflected in a country music video for once. It’s a tender, piano-driven ballad that peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, marking a huge mainstream breakthrough for an artist who usually stays on the fringes of the Nashville machine.
Short, Sweet, and Surprisingly Deep
At only 28 minutes long, some critics complained that Tyler Childers Rustin' in the Rain was too short. It’s practically an EP by modern standards. But the quality-over-quantity argument holds up here. There isn't a single second of filler.
Take "Phone Calls and Emails." It sounds like a lost Charlie Rich track. It’s a slow-burn 3/4 time signature song about being ghosted in the digital age, yet it sounds like it was recorded in 1962. That’s the magic of this record. It uses old tools to tell very new stories.
Then there’s the gospel element. Childers hasn't moved away from his spiritual roots. "Luke 2:8-10" features a powerhouse lineup of guest vocals, including:
- Margo Price
- Erin Rae
- S.G. Goodman
They take a passage of scripture and turn it into a haunting, down-home arrangement that feels like a Sunday morning in a church with no air conditioning.
The Covers: Reclaiming the Classics
Childers also included two covers that act as the pillars of the album's Elvis-pitch concept.
- "Help Me Make It Through the Night": Originally by Kris Kristofferson. Tyler has been playing this live for years, but the studio version is "beautifully bruised." It’s desperate and lonely, exactly how a honky-tonk ballad should be.
- "Space and Time": Originally by S.G. Goodman. This is the album closer, and it’s a showstopper. It’s a soul-drenched profession of love that proves Tyler might have the best "cry" in his voice of anyone singing today.
What People Get Wrong About Tyler's "Shift"
There's a narrative that Tyler Childers has "gone woke" or "left his fans behind" because of the themes in Tyler Childers Rustin' in the Rain.
That’s a lazy take.
If you go back to Long Violent History or even the lyrics of Purgatory, Tyler has always been a storyteller of the "unseen" Appalachia. He isn't interested in the "dirt road/cold beer" tropes of Nashville. He writes about the reality of the mountains—which includes addiction, coal dust, religious fervor, and yes, people who don't fit the heteronormative mold.
He’s not changing; the audience is just finally catching up to the complexity he’s been putting out since Bottles and Bibles.
How to Actually Listen to This Album
If you want to get the most out of this record, don't just shuffle it on Spotify while you're doing the dishes.
- Listen to it in order. It’s designed as a narrative arc from the frantic energy of the title track to the quiet, spiritual resolution of "Space and Time."
- Watch the videos. The lyric videos and the "In Your Love" short film add a visual layer of Appalachian history that Tyler is very intentional about.
- Pay attention to the piano. While Tyler’s voice is the star, the piano work on this album is what separates it from his previous, more guitar-heavy bluegrass records.
Tyler Childers Rustin' in the Rain isn't just a country album. It’s a love letter to the history of Southern music, from the gospel pews to the rockabilly stages of Memphis, filtered through the eyes of a man who knows exactly who he is and where he comes from.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into his discography after finishing this record, your best move is to check out his 2025 release, Snipe Hunter, or go back to the 2017 classic Purgatory to see where this "neotraditional" journey really started.