When Alex Williams debuted with 2017's Better Than Myself, his big, booming baritone and southern storytelling seemed to channel the country outlaws who came before him. The album made him a hero of modern-day American roots music, and when he returned in 2022, it was with Waging Peace, an eclectic and reflective record that showcased just how broad his definition of Americana could be. Three years later, he widens that sound once again with Space Brain, an unexpected covers album inspired by his longtime love of 1980s metal. Here, he reinterprets the songs of Judas Priest, Cinderella, Motley Crue, and others as a collection of backwoods ballads, campfire sing-alongs, and roadhouse roots-rockers. The result is an album that shows just how expansive and eclectic Williams' interpretation of country music can be. He's always planted his flag outside of the mainstream, but he's never sounded more like an outlaw than on Space Brain, paying tribute to the music that shaped his childhood along the way.

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