With his 2007 debut, Don’t Let Go, former bull-riding champion Justin McBride aimed to follow in the footsteps of rodeo cowboy–turned–country-singer Chris LeDoux. McBride’s music is harder and more hedonistic than anything LeDoux ever did, but there's a similar untrained quality to his voice that makes him seem real in comparison to Nashville's manufactured pop stars. There's fullness and grit to the production, especially on the Stonesy rocker “Beer Drinkin’ Songs” and “Bigger Fish to Fry,” which hides a Beatles-esque melody under its scruffy attitude. Though there's a hard-bitten tenderness to “That Was Us,” “Went for a Ride,” and “Good Saddles Ain’t Cheap,” McBride comes off like a toughened fighter. His ethos is plainly stated in “Don’t Let Go” and “Tough,” the album’s two best songs. Both adopt the bull rider’s code and apply it to a life philosophy, and while McBride may not have LeDoux’s gentle touch, the directness and durability of his voice is more than enough credential.