Coming off his recent CMA of Texas Americana Album of the Year Award Chris Gardner returned to Wire Road Studios (Houston) with Andy Bradley (House Of Hits) at the helm. Chris invited professional session players Paul English on piano, Rankin Peters on bass, Tyson Sheth on drums and Charlie Lair on lead guitar. To support his vocals Chris asked back up singers Teri Luedtke & Betsy Burke in to Wire Road as well. Add Chris’s vocals to the mix and the title track “Can’t Go Home” knocks the ball out of the park. The radio ready song gets right into the theme without a long prelude for audiences to wade through, it’s a toe tapper to be sure. The audio levels are right on the money which allows the back up singers to be supportive but not overpowering. Chris’s lyrics are easy to relate to with his vocals coming through crisp and clear. The lead guitar work is prominent but again not over powering. Track three “The Rocky Road” starts with a marvelous fiddle entrance which leads into a first person point of view. Gardner’s “The Rocky Road” invites the listener on a lyrical journey reviewing intimate moments prior to a love not working out. The song shares how it could have been, how great it had been at times, then how difficult and heart breaking it was when two people realized it was time to move on. Track seven is Chris’s take on what he presents as the ”Second Time Around“. The song presents a comfortable upbeat tempo including instrumental embellishments that weave well throughout the entire song. It’s another Chris Gardner easily relatable creation in structure and lyrics. The late Kenny Cordray’s guitar work on “Second Time Around” is over the top and while it takes the spotlight it does so through supportive presence. The team’s lyrical, musical combination delivers a notable enjoyable Honky Tonk presence. The song’s theme centers around learning and letting go with a key emphasis on remaining positive because a second time around is on its way. The album is being serviced to radio by Bill Wence Promotions (Nashville) with visibility being handled by John in Houston PR LLC.
Chris Gardner’s natural ability to envision situations and transform them into lyrics and music with heartfelt feeling
is simply incredible. So much so that listeners comment that it feels like Chris is talking directly to them through his
music. For over 20 years, Chris has shared his music with his fans, entertaining across the country from NY to LA and
including Houston, Texas, his hometown.
In 2024, Chris completed his 8th audio release “A Love Thing”, which scored 26 weeks on the Roots Music Report Charts Top 50, peaking at #4 on the Country and Americana Country charts. The album ranked three Top 20 singles and enjoyed incredible radio response. CMA of Texas just awarded Chris their 2025 Americana Album of The Year award for his “Second Helpings” CD. A collection of 13 songs ranging from heartfelt ballads to humorous situations on love gone bad plus a peek into the shared human experiences of loves lost and found, including navigating life’s journeys through one’s lifetime. Chris’s creations are reminiscent of a time when songs had big sing along choruses and messages that communicated as if they were singing directly to you. His discography features a host of incredible musicians including Paul English on the piano/B3, Wayne Turner (Hank Williams Jr) on Guitar, Rankin Peters, and Mark Andes (Firefall, Spirit, Heart) on Bass, and a slew of incredibly talented musicians. Additionally, previous releases have earned notable recognition on Roots Music Reports, with an incredible 19 Top 20 songs within the Country and Americana Country genres. He’s even cracked the Billboard charts, peaking in their Top 100 country albums.
Back in 2000, Chris began to perform at music festivals with the first three being Healthy Heart Week, Spence Fest, and Country Music Fest. He performed nationally from LA to NYC. On a more localized scene, Chris has performed in Houston at the famous McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, Warehouse Live, Dan Electros, and the now closed but iconic Fitzgerald’s. Over the course of his life, Chris has become deeply influenced by such notables as The Beatles, The Eagles, and Bob Seger. The impact of these artists on his life directly influenced his decision to write and perform music. Today, Chris delivers his own distinct, relatable musical portraits which are appreciated by music lovers internationally. In fact if it wasn’t for his weekly foray onto the ice to play hockey, Chris would probably never come out of his creation mode. As he's from Buffalo, New York, Houstonians have learned that you can take Chris out of Buffalo but you can’t take hockey out of this man’s heart. It’s a good thing ice rinks aren’t open 24 hours a day...
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