Dallas native Joshua Ray Walker’s latest release, Thank You For Listening, is a self declared love letter to his fans and supporters. The album is a compilation of acoustic renditions from his critically acclaimed trio of albums Wish You Were Here, Glad You Made It, and See You Next Time. Although the majority of these songs have previously been released, these new renderings strip these fan favorites down to their raw and intimate core, highlighting the essence of Joshua Ray Walker’s songwriting and vocal talent. The project also includes the newly released title track “Thank You For Listening,” which has been described as a “gorgeous and melancholic ballad” by Brooklyn Vegan. The aforementioned trio of albums, released from 2019 to 2021, are packed tight with character-driven songs that put multiple national-tours worth of crowds on the precipice of staining their shirts with either beers or tears, depending on the song. The third of the trio, See You Next Time, led to Walker appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and CBS Saturday Morning, brought with it performances at the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and Gruene Hall in Texas, landed him on Rolling Stone’s “Best of 2021” list, and prompted SPIN to call him “one of country’s most exciting storytellers.” In 2023, Walker followed up “The Trilogy” with What Is It Even?, an 11-track cover album consisting of songs made famous by female pop acts. Seemingly unafraid of whether it stripped him of the “standard bearer of authentic country music” label that some circles have tagged him with, Walker said What Is It Even? is a specific snapshot of some of his inspirations. The song choices make the album feel something like an Alice In Wonderland version of your most fun-loving friend’s iPod shuffle dug out of their closet. There’s a country version of Cher’s “Believe”, a sort of grunge/country adaptation of Q Lazarus’ “Goodbye Horses”, a rendition of The Cranberries’ “Linger” with Kyle Gass of Tenacious D on the recorder, and the crown jewel, a cover of Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You” that is a vocal showcase. That cover of Lizzo led Rolling Stone to say that the cover “...should be his star-making turn” and resulted in a performance of the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live!