Dallas’ Joshua Ray Walker bending gender norms in latest studio album

Joshua Ray Walker is known for staying true to his style and presentation. The singer-songwriter built a following that has heard his rousing songs about his real-life experiences and the Dallas dive-bar scene.

Now, he’s exploring gender norms and making a statement in the process.

Walker is in the middle of his “What Is It Even Tour” in support of his fourth studio album that drops Friday. The album, What Is It Even?, hatched from a conversation between Walker and his drummer Trey Pendergrass and celebrates female artists.

The album sounds like Walker, but it’s a whole different vibe, “something fun and lighthearted.”

For example: His solo black-and-white video from the album shows him vamping in a feathery boa, wailing to Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You” through pursed lips adorned in lipstick. Walker gives it his trademark honky-tonk twist.

“Lizzo is probably my favorite pop artist right now, and that song was a blast to sing,” he said. “And I just really liked her whole message of positivity.”

The What Is It Even? tracklist features 11 covers, including Cher’s “Believe,” a grunge/country adaptation of the late Q Lazzarus’ “Goodbye Horses,” Dolly Parton’s “Joshua”, the late Sinéad O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U‚” Sia’s “Cheap Thrills,” and a bluegrass adaptation of Beyoncé’s “Halo.”

Walker said he also has a special connection to singer-songwriter Regina Spektor’s “Samson,” a love song that references the biblical story of Samson and Delilah.

“Because when I was a kid, like 15, that was probably the first song where I really listened to the lyrics,” he said. “I always paid more attention to the music. So her words kind of opened my eyes.”

The idea for the album was sparked on the patio of a Tulsa, Okla., dive bar where Walker and Pendergrass joked about how the Blues Brothers would cover a Whitney Houston song, according to Walker’s website.

In an interview with The Dallas Morning News, Walker shared his thoughts on his new album along with country music’s division.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Your first three albums feature your style. What’s your comfort level on this new album?

People have said a lot of nice things, including that I’m a torchbearer for traditional country music, and I feel like there’s been like a weight put behind the music that I’m doing. I do love country music. I love traditional country music. But I never intended to be some sort of country purist.

How do you evaluate country music as a genre given that, in some cases, it’s been politicized?

The fan base is very divided. Party lines get twisted over the years, and messages and brands are co-opted by people. Corporations decide what genres sound like. There are all these things at play that shape what music is. People who don’t listen to country music, a lot of times, they view country-music listeners as conservative and kind of redneck.

In terms of your style and presentation, do you believe this approach to this album will alienate your fans?

I think that by putting this record out, it’s probably a shock to some of the fans [who] do follow me because they liked that I yodel and I play classic country songs or songs that sound like classic country songs. I think there’s a possibility of alienating some fans. If that makes someone not want to listen to me, then I really don’t care if they listen to me in the first place.

Does this album make a personal statement on where you stand?

I wanted to make sure to plant my flag and show people more outwardly where I fall on those divisions, and show that I support everyone’s rights. I just wanted to be more vocal about where I stand. I didn’t want people to assume that I’m on the wrong side of history on this one, and that I’m bigoted in any way.

About the ‘What Is It Even Tour’

Walker and his band are putting the wraps on the first leg of their U.S. tour. They’ll play Friday in Indianapolis and Saturday in Appleton, Wis., before kicking off their European leg on Aug. 11 in Norway. They’ll be back in the U.S. on Sept. 18 in Reno before a three-date swing through Texas that includes a Sept. 22 show at the Majestic Theatre in Dallas. The tour ends Nov. 18 in Mobile, Ala. The tracklist for the new album:

• “Cuz I Love You” (Lizzo)
• “Linger” featuring Kyle Gass of Tenacious D (The Cranberries)
• “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” (Whitney Houston)
• “Believe” (Cher)
• “Cheap Thrills” (Sia)
• “Blue” (LeAnn Rimes)
• “Goodbye Horses” (Q Lazzarus)
• “Nothing Compares 2 U” (Sinéad O’Connor)
• “Joshua” (Dolly Parton)
• “Halo” (Beyoncé)
• “Samson” (Regina Spektor)