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At nearly 80 years old, legendary Texas outlaw troubadour Ray Wylie Hubbard is still turning up the amps and delivering the kind of gritty, unapologetic music that feels tailor-made for late-night dives, backroad jukeboxes and smoky bars. His upcoming album, Reel 2 Reel 4 Real, arriving August 21 via Bordello Records with distribution by Soundly Music/Thirty Tigers, proves Hubbard hasn’t lost a single ounce of edge.
Raw, loud and gloriously ragged around the edges, Reel 2 Reel 4 Real finds Hubbard leaning hard into primer-grey Texas garage rock with influences that echo the spirit of the 13th Floor Elevators, Mouse and the Traps and the True Believers. While Hubbard’s long songwriting career has produced poetic classics like “The Messenger,” “Dust of the Chase,” and “Stone Blind Horses,” this new collection unapologetically aims straight for the “Wanna Rock and Roll” crowd.
Leading the charge is the swagger-filled new single “Cassette Mix Tape,” a nostalgic, lust-fueled joyride packed with references to Golden Earring, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones and Bob Seger. Complete with a surreal animated music video, the track captures the reckless freedom of youth as Hubbard recalls stealing his dad’s Chevy Vega and driving it “like it was a Pontiac Grand Prix.”
The album also marks Hubbard’s return to his independent home at Bordello Records following a two-album run with Nashville’s Big Machine Records.
“They treated me great, and did everything they could,” Hubbard says of his major label experience. “But it was kind of limited because I’m an old guy. I’m no longer a country hunk, you know?”
Recorded primarily at co-producer Jonathan Tyler’s studio, Reel 2 Reel 4 Real was intentionally built with a lean-and-mean philosophy. Hubbard surrounded himself with trusted musicians including drummer Kyle Schneider, bassist John Michael Schoepf and his son Lucas Hubbard on electric and Resonator guitar. Additional players included organist Bukka Allen, Reckless Kelly’s Cody Braun and Nashville slide guitarist Tobin Dale.
Several tracks were recorded directly to tape, giving the album its gritty analog soul and inspiring the title Reel 2 Reel 4 Real.
“Just hit record and play,” Hubbard explains. “I loved that sound.”
The project also includes two songs recorded in Los Angeles with legendary guitarist Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers fame. According to Hubbard, the collaboration came together after an unexpected phone call sparked by none other than Ringo Starr.
The final touch came courtesy of producer and guitarist Gurf Morlix, who mastered the album and restored the grit and growl Hubbard felt had been softened during earlier mastering sessions.
The result is a record that feels both timeless and dangerous — a reminder that Ray Wylie Hubbard remains one of Americana’s true originals.
And while Hubbard hints that Reel 2 Reel 4 Real could potentially serve as his final full-length album, he makes it clear the songwriting isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
“I’ve got so many damn songs that I don’t know what to do with them,” Hubbard says. “We’re thinking after this album we’ll just throw out singles as I finish them and see what happens.”
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