“I thought the last thing I want to do is make music, to get up there and sing,” Watson says, his Texas accent strong and smooth as molasses. “So I said, ‘God, I don’t think I can do this. If music is what you need me to do, then I need some help. Because I can’t write a song to save my life.’ And over the next month I wrote a record like it was no big deal – and I think it’s my best one yet.”

The resulting album is titled Real Good Time, and it’s testament to the power of music to lift us out from our lowest moments and bring joy and salvation though the wail of the fiddle, twang of a steel guitar or note of Watson’s rich voice. He’d give all the credit to God, but it’s also the result of a long career inspired by the greats of country music – George Strait, Chris Ledoux, Willie Nelson, Jennings. His music has formed into a unique sound that is at once both purely new, and representative of a grand, southern tradition. Because, as Watson points out, “country music, real country music, is cool. It’s the coolest there is.”

When Watson started making music, they called him the Honky Tonk Kid. At 35, they still do. He’s proud of it: though he’s gone from an old van and trailer to a tour bus, from sawdust floors to big stages, he still holds dear the core reasons why he first started writing songs and singing so many years ago. “We have a formula that has been working for over a decade, and that’s making good, wholesome, fun music reflective of what I believe in,” he says. This newest record is all of that, wrapped up in a rollicking ride and brought into existence through the toughest of tragedies but also by the grace of God. “It’s the best that I’ve got, no regrets,” he says. So kick your feet up, as Watson sings, and let a country boy show you a real good time.