Hear Randy Houser’s Stunning New Song ‘No Good Place to Cry’

Randy Houser returns to bluesy big-voiced ballads like his 2008 breakout hit “Anything Goes” and the 2010 album cut “Somewhere South of Memphis” on his new song “No Good Place to Cry,” a track off his upcoming LP Magnolia. The Mississippi native recently released the song by setting it to footage from a dramatic film — also titled Magnolia — that serves as a companion piece to the album.

A sparse, soulful ballad, with minimal guitar and organ accompaniment, “No Good Place to Cry” finds Houser lamenting the end of a relationship and the lack of compassion he experiences as he walks increasingly lonely streets. “I found my way down to lower Broadway / where nobody knows my name,” he sings, making his way to the closest empty barstool, where he’ll be just another drinker “with another woman to blame.”

It’s Houser’s vocal turn that sells the song, however. All artful nuance, he moves effortlessly from a light whisper to a growl, highlighting the versatility of his voice and making the case that he’s well overdue for a Best Vocal Performance nomination.

While this may be the official debut of “No Good Place to Cry,” Houser has been performing the song for the past two years. He’ll bring songs from Magnolia, and past hits like “How Country Feels” and “Like a Cowboy,” when he hits the road in support of the album next year, including dates opening for Alan Jackson.