The album earned Carll several awards and nominations, including a 2009 Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album. The album also won the 2009 Americana Music Association's Album of the Year award.
Hayes Carll ’s 2008 release, , stands as the definitive bridge between his days as a Texas barroom troubadour and his rise to Americana royalty. As his third studio album and major-label debut on Lost Highway , it polished his "scruffy" songwriting just enough to catch a wider audience without losing the grit he earned playing six nights a week in Crystal Beach. Hayes Carll Trouble In Mind -2008-
With "Trouble in Mind", Carll aimed to create a more polished and cohesive album. He worked with producer Mike McCready, known for his work with artists like Lucinda Williams and Todd Snider. The album was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, and features a range of talented musicians, including guitarist Colin Linden and bassist Charlie McCoy. The album earned Carll several awards and nominations,
First, Carll avoids the clichés of modern country (trucks, dirt roads, backwards baseball caps) in favor of universal human truths: jealousy, loneliness, addiction, and the desperate need for connection. His wit doesn't mask the pain; it illuminates it. As his third studio album and major-label debut
If you’ve never listened to Trouble in Mind , start at the top. Let the first line of "Drunken Poet’s Dream" wash over you. By the time you reach the closing chords of "Wish I Hadn't Stayed," you’ll understand why Hayes Carll isn't just a singer-songwriter. He’s a survivalist. And this album is his field guide to the wreckage.
The 14-track collection features a mix of originals, co-writes, and covers: Drunken Poet's Dream (co-written with Ray Wylie Hubbard) It's a Shame Girl Downtown Bad Liver and a Broken Heart (Scott Nolan cover; features Dan Baird on guitar) I Got a Gig Faulkner Street Wild as a Turkey Don't Let Me Fall (co-written with Jonny Burke) A Lover Like You I Don't Wanna Grow Up (Tom Waits cover) Knockin' Over Whiskeys Willing to Love Again (co-written with Darrell Scott) She Left Me for Jesus (co-written with Brian Keane) Reception & Commercial Performance