Listen To Music Like A Texan: Play Robert Earle Keen's A Bigger Piece of Sky

A Bigger Piece of Sky is an album by Texas-based folk singer-songwriter Robert Earle Keen. It was released in the in 1993. The title of the album comes from a line in the opening verse of "Paint the Town Beige":

I gave up the fast lane for a blacktop country road

Just burned out on all that talk about the motherload,

I traded for a songbird and a bigger piece of sky

When I miss the good old days I can't imagine why.

The album is frequently cited to be one of Keen's best if not the best and is considered to be a transitional point in his career as an artist. The album brings together various elements of alternative country such as roots-rock, honky-tonk, and folk to form Keen's own cohesive blend of Texas music. Reviewers cite "Corpus Christi Bay", "Whenever Kindness Fails", "So I Can Take My Rest", and "Paint the Town Beige" as stand-out tracks. Keen's down-beat duet with Irish singer Maura O'Connell, "Night Right for Love" is also worthy of note as is Keen's cover of Terry Allen's "Amarillo Highway".

My personal favorite is Jesse With the Long Hair.  Listen to the story.  Its classic.  Listen to it here.