Teague Brothers Band - Wish You the World (2025) Hi-Res

This new album again highlights the John Teague fronted band as one of Texas’ best and most interesting bands. This follow up to the critically lauded LOVE AND PEACE release in 2022 builds on that album with sterling performances all round. Teague’s vocals and songwriting have only grown and matured since then. The album was produced by Derek Hames in Edgewater Studios in their home state of Texas. There the band and new producer Hames developed the material into a diverse set that is filled with strong songs and a sense of empathy, sometimes not as obvious in some of the rowdier Texas bands.

Sure these guys can rock out with the best of them in true Texas tradition, creating that beloved foot stomping dance floor energy that is often seen as essential. Take for instance the full on fiddle-fulled Hotel Water, courtesy of band member A.J. Hoffman. That is contrasted by the folky and tender remembrance of his Grandma in the song Tell Me Anything, that compares her wisdom and beliefs with his own failings and those of his family. In a self-revealing couplet he notes “I’m just as bad at saying goodbye, as I’m at stopping by.” Teague’s songs are full of strong lyrical concepts, revealing him to be deserving of wider credit for his observations and insights. Often these are downbeat in theme but uplifting in delivery, which allows them to reveal their merit over a number of plays.

The song that starts the album, Breathe, is a precursor to the overall attitude of Teague’s character portraits, who are often “holding my breathe like I’m under water.” The guitar and rhythm section fairly rock along here to underline slight desperation on offer. The title track is more mid tempo and boasts a strong chorus line. There is more of a sense of heartbreak revealed in Fire, “I was in love with a liar / so I’m going to build me a fire.” This is done in a restrained and reflective mood that makes it all the more effective and poignant. Another song that also has a message, but one that is both personal and easy to related to, is Depression. It is full of, well, depressing images of a man in distress, wondering how his relationship is lacking his basic perceived needs but conscious that this runs two ways, asking “Is there anything I could do for you to love me again?” There is a jaunty ending to the album with Smiles, wherein he is a man with no complaints, and that seems like a pretty good sentiment to end the album on.

The Brothers here are that of a band of brothers and include, from the last album, the vital contributions of Kyle Villarreal on guitar and vocals, and drummer Jeremy Hall, who are joined by a number of other players who make their presence felt too. There has been much made of certain other band of troubadours who are making some major inroads into the mainstream. The music on this album and the band themselves could easily be taking that same route, given a wider exposure to a bigger audience. The contents of this album are well capable of making the case for that. Wishing you the world with this release, as the songs and spirit here are certainly worthy of making their world a better place.