Welcome To Earth
Self-Released, 2025
8/10
The Austin native and Brooklyn resident Hudson Mueller pens an impressive debut solo album here, where inspiration from Willie Nelson and Kurt Vonnegut makes for timeless songwriting.
The strong atmosphere of “Money Vs. Fame” opens the listen with Roy Williams’ aching pedal steel and Alex Hargreaves’ well timed fiddle in the cautious yet rootsy climate where Mueller’s storytelling is a bit haunting, and “Maintain” follows with spirited harmonica and Jeff Barton’s crisp drums alongside a breezy spirit.
In the middle, “Pull Up A Chair” benefits from flowing piano and Quinn McCarthy’s precise bass amid Mueller’s emotive pipes, while “Goodbye Blue Monday” is an intimate moment thanks to soulful ideas and grooves via Whitney Lockert’s slide guitar prowess.
“Quarantine Waltz” and “The Last Last One” exit the listen. The former allows for Mueller’s eloquent voice to shine, and the harmonies from Elysse and beccs don’t disappoint, either, and the latter is less than a minute but makes an impression with some warm folk qualities.
A heartfelt and poetic first album, Mueller knows his way around a folk, Americana and country tinted song you won’t soon forget, and let’s hope more work is on the horizon soon.
Travels well with: Mike Montrey Band- Love, Time & Mortality; Mac Leapheart- Motel Breakfast