LISTEN: James McMurtry Has Our Song Of The Week — 'Vaquero'

This week’s brand-new episode of Mountain Stage features one of Americana music’s most heralded and admired writers, James McMurtry, with songs from his latest album, The Horses and the Hounds, on New West Records.

We also get a set of enchanting new music from Aoife O’Donovan, a high-energy performance from the effervescent Sammy Rae & The Friends, plus Nashville based hit writer Natalie Hemby, and songwriter Heather Maloney.

Our Song of the Week, “Vaquero,” is another masterpiece from McMurtry, whose writing manages to capture the unique human experience in particularly vivid ways.

James McMurtry – Vaquero

Listen • 4:21

mira vaquero (look yonder vaquero)
se pone el sol (the sun sets)
buen caballero viajando con Dios (fine horseman, travelling with God)
mira vaquero (look yonder vaquero)
no miramos atras (we don’t look back)
nos vamos al campo (let us go to the cow camp)
una vez mas, una vez mas (one more time, one more time)

“Vaquero” appears on McMurtry’s latest on New West Records, The Horses And The Hounds.

Hear the entire episode, with performances from McMurtry, Aoife O’Donovan, Natalie Hemby, Sammy Rae & The Friends and Heather Maloney, starting Friday, Sept. 23 on these NPR Music stations.