Turnpike Troubadours - The Price of Admission

4.5

Rating

4.5/5

Flyctory.com Pros

Lovely, traditional style country album
Good stories
Very nice arrangements

Especially on the country music side, I regularly scan a few weeks ahead for new releases. In my preparations for the albums released on 11th April 2025, I did not spot The Price of Admission at all. The reason was that the Turnpike Troubadours surprised with this album release. It is their seventh studio album overall.

Turnpike Troubadours – About The Artists

The Price of Admission is already the second studio album I review of the band from Tehlequah, Oklahoma. My first review was A Cat In The Rain, their most recent album released in August 2023. The band is a sextet around the lead singer Evan Felker. Together with R.C. Edwards, he is the founding member of the band. Both are still active since their forming in 2007. There was a hiatus between 2019 and 2021. While their first two albums could not chart, the third album, Goodbye Normal Street already made it to the 14th spot in the US Country Charts. Thereafter, all three albums at least placed in the Top 10. Based on Spotify, their most popular song is Long Hot Summer Day from their 2010 album Diamonds & Gasoline (86m streams).

Turnpike Troubadours – The Price of Admission – Track by Track

The eleven track album lasts 45 minutes. None of the songs have been released beforehand.

1. On The Red River

The Turnpike Troubadours open their surprise release with a rather slow track. The beautiful, but also slightly subtle melody in the background leads to a lovely focus on the lyrics of the opener – and the nice storytelling.

Back on the red river, not hard to remember
When your daddy wouldn’t ever get old
When I saw the world from up on your shoulders
I remember the view, when you live like we do
Death doesn’t leave with the best part of you

2. Searching For A Light

Searching For A Light is definitely having more presence on the instrumental side than the opener. This nicely underlines the nostalgic, but not antiquated sound of this songs. Instead, the song is striking with a lovely melody and a very harmonic overall sound, which leads to a gentle listen.

3. Forgiving You

Did you take my love to the heavens above
Or to Denver or some mountain city?
Render my heart with the hand of an artist

The slow, groovy style of the third song, together with the nice country-alike sway, leads to a lovely cowboy-style country music evening. The sextet turns the listen into a very personal moment, which makes Forgiving You a relatable and fascinating listen.

4. Be Here

The fast fiddle sound and the slighly stomping rhythm as well as the initial vocals of Be Here lead to a shanty-alike feeling. The style of the song could easy drive the audience to sing with the band on upcoming concerts.

5. Heaven Passing Through

The fifth song of The Price of Admission is the four minute Heaven Passing Through. The steel guitar and the fiddle are the key instrumental elements of this song. The song feels a bit more modern. Nonetheless, the album stays on the rather slow side so far.

6. The Devil Plies His Trade (Sn 6 Ep 3)

I just cold not find out about the meaning of the reference in the title, but the sixth song comes with nice Western rock vibes and very present action from the drums side. It especially impresses with virtuous instrumental play and thus is another nice listen.

7. A Lie Agreed Upon

The sound of A Lie Agreed Upon reminds me of the slower Midland songs. The setting is rather traditional, nonetheless the song has a nice modern touch. The harmonies in the chorus work out very well. Regarding the write and the final production of the song, this one is definitely one of my favorites.

I’m scared that you’re lying
But it’s just the start of the evening
And people can start again and be brand new

8. Ruby Ann

The style of A Lie Agreed Upon continues with Ruby Ann. However, this song is more racy and the hammering beat is driving the song at a faster speed. Turnpike Troubadour indeed have to hurry a bit in here – the song is some 40 seconds shorter than its predecessor. It is overall the shortest one on the album (3:10 minutes).

9. What Was Advertised

With What Was Advertised, The Price of Admission heads back to a more sedated pace. However, the album continues to present vocal beauty and lovely storytelling, supported by good instrumental work.

10. Leaving Town (Woody Guthrie Festival)

We’ve been there for hours
I’m running late
See the water towers
From the interstate
Looks like a party
At the rocky road

The tenth song takes some home state memories. The Woody Guthrie Festival in Okemah annually honors the singer-songwriter in its hometown. However, the song also reminds on the other side of living in the area. Well, I remember when all that mattered was getting older and leaving town is stated in the chorus. Another really nice listen.

11. Nothing You Can Do

The Price of Admission closes with Nothing You Can Do. The song mixes traditional country with rock’n’roll-alike beats. The song has a present rhythm and makes you move for the last 3:31 minutes of the album. Even though the verses close with and there’s nothing that you can do, the song thus has a somehow positive touch.

Turnpike Troubadours – The Price of Admission – Spotify

Here is the album on Spotify:

Turnpike Troubadours – The Price of Admission – My View

There are good surprises and there are bad surprises. The Price of Admission is definitely a good one. The album is definitely rather a treat for traditional country music listeners. However, it is not outdated and if you like good arrangements and good stories, the Turnpike Troubadours have something nice in stock for you. I like it.

Favorite Song: Nothing That You Can Do