Lance Roark Proves He Is Here To Stay With Killer Debut Record “Bad Reputation”

If you fancy yourself a fan of country music, then Lance Roark’s brand new record is mandatory listening.

Hailing from the Eastern Oklahoma town of Tahlequah, Roark has spent the majority of his life in the same locale that produced the greatest band in all the land – the Turnpike Troubadours. Fittingly, he first met the band’s co-founder and bassist R.C. Edwards at an open mic in town, and the two quickly became frequent collaborators.

Roark played in Edwards’ band RC and the Ambers during Turnpike’s hiatus, and when the band finally got back together, he landed a co-write alongside Edwards on A Cat in the Rain with “Chipping Mill.” A frequent opener for Turnpike on the road these days, Roark’s handiwork is also included on their latest record The Price of Admission with “Ruby Ann,” another co-write with Edwards. Even more recently, Roark co-wrote a track called “Grace” alongside both Charlie Muncaster and Gary Stanton of Muscadine Bloodline that landed on their Longleaf Lo-Fi record that dropped within the past few weeks.

Now, I want to make it clear that I only provide this context in an effort to endear Roark to country music fans who aren’t knowingly familiar with his music, though likely huge fans of some of the artists that admire his work the most. The high-profile artists with whom he has collaborated of late serve as a vote of confidence in his ability as a musician, and he leaves no doubt of his talent in his original music. Especially not in his brand new album.

Titled Bad Reputation, Roark’s debut record dropped a few weeks ago, and it is an absolute force to be reckoned with. Featuring 11 original tracks that are all written or co-written by Roark, Bad Reputation extends the classic hard-driving red dirt sound of his prior catalog to bolster some of his strongest songwriting and storytelling to date.

It makes sense that the Turnpike Troubadours have taken such a liking to Roark, because he has proved in this record that he is capable of doing something that Turnpike and Muscadine Bloodline have mastered and few other artists have managed to achieve.

Roark has an incredible ability to write about a very specific geographical location, and utilizes vivid imagery and tedious attention to detail, in an effort to paint a picture for the listener of a place they’ve likely never visited. But through universal themes and the introduction of larger-than-life characters, Roark’s music, though rooted in Oklahoma, is relatable to most everyone who listens. No matter where they reside.

Five of these songs were co-written alongside Turnpike’s Edwards, and a couple more alongside Roark’s wife Hannah, as the track list weaves seamlessly through love songs and tales of coming of age in Oklahoma and memories made along the way. My personal favorite, “Melissa Texas,” is a road warrior’s lament centered around a map dot town artists from the region are all too familiar with due to its location along U.S. 75 connecting Eastern Oklahoma to North Texas.

A blistering red dirt rock and roll record that showcases he and his band’s vast sonic prowess, the final track “Stay” is the most poignant, as it finds Roark slowing things down and leaving no doubt behind his availability as a more vulnerable singer-songwriter. All in all, Lance Roark continues to prove with each release and each co-write that he is a name worthy of being on every country music fan’s radar, and his most recent record Bad Reputation features some of his best work to date.

Give a few of my favorites a listen below, but make sure to give the album a good listen all the way through. You will not be disappointed.

“Melissa Texas”

“Rose Quartz Perfume”

“Stay”

This should come as no surprise, but I’ve heard Roark and his band are absolutely killer live, so hopefully they announce some shows here in the near future to promote the new project. Until then, the recorded music will just have to hold us over, and I plan on wearing this album out in the meantime.

While we’re on the subject of Roark, check out the aforementioned co-writes he’s participated in that have landed on recent Turnpike Troubadours and Muscadine Bloodline albums.

“Ruby Ann” – The Price of Admission by Turnpike Troubadours (Roark, Edwards)

“Grace” – Longleaf Lo-Fi by Muscadine Bloodline (Roark, Stanton, Muncaster)

“Chipping Mill” – A Cat in the Rain by Turnpike Troubadours (Roark, Edwards)

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