Caleb Caudle's 'Carolina Ghost' Out Now

"Evocative and impressionistic Southern lyricism, wrapped in an impeccable mix of vintage and contemporary country sounds." - PASTE MAGAZINE

Following in the boot steps of Gram Parsons, Merle Haggard and George Strait, CALEB CAUDLE makes pure country music rooted in the genre's glory days, back when melody, mood and message ruled the roost. It's not contemporary country-pop, nor is it part of any underground outlaw scene. Instead, Caudle's music finds the middle-ground between the classic twang of late-Seventies/early-Eighties country and the raw, rootsy stomp of modern-day Americana.

Raised just south of the Virginia/North Carolina border, Caudle cut his teeth on the road, building his audience one highway mile at a time. While sharing shows with Jason Isbell, Robert Ellis, Justin Townes Earle and other Americana A-listers, he also found time to record albums like 2014's "Paint Another Layer on My Heart," a critical favorite that landed him on more than 40 year-end lists. Caudle keeps the momentum going with his newest release, Carolina Ghost, an album inspired by new love and a recent move back to the Piedmont. 

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This record is all about making life changes and coming home," says Caudle, who co-produced Carolina Ghost with longtime collaborator Jon Ashley (Avett Brothers, Dawes, Band of Horses). "I kicked booze about a year and a half ago and moved back to North Carolina and fell in love. So it all feels like a new start, really."

Recorded at the Fidelitorium in Kernersville, NC, Carolina Ghost mixes Caudle's voice with the swoon of pedal steel, the swell of B3 organ, and layers of electric guitar. The light, layered arrangements swirl up memories of Haggard's work in the 1980s — particularly classics like Big City and Going Where the Lonely Go — but the end result is pure Caudle, shot through the optimism of a road warrior who, nearly a decade into his career, has discovered not only the thrill in hitting the highway, but the comfort in putting down some roots.  

Get "Carolina Ghost" on iTunes, on Bandcamp, or from This Is American Music - Available on smoky clear vinyl, CD, and digital formats.