Featuring songs written in and inspired by his home of Battle Creek, Saskatchewan, Colter Wall releases his fourth studio album on La Honda Records/RCA Records. Wall returned to Yellowdog Studios in Wimberly, Texas where he cut his 2020, Billboard-charting Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs. For his latest release, Wall brought in his longtime road band to record 10 new tracks that collectively he calls, Little Songs.

With co-producer Patrick Lyons, Wall tracked eight original songs and two fan-favorite covers, one of which was written by Ian Tyson. Tyson, who passed away in late 2022, was a hero and major influence on the young Canadian, as well as a verifiable legend of Alberta, where Wall recently headlined the Ponoka Stampede as well as the famous Ranchman’s Saloon. Praise for Wall’s live performances has resulted in sold-out shows across western Canada and the United States, including an invitation to cement impressions of his hands at the world-famous Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth, TX, a rare honor.

Little Songs is an upbeat, sometimes somber glimpse into the rural work and social life of the Canadian West. Leading the new album is a romantic recalling from a summer dance, “Prairie Evening/ Sagebrush Waltz.” Followers of his performance videos will recognize the Hoyt Axton cover, “Evangelina,” released as the first single from Little Songs. More so than with previous albums, Little Songs takes emotional turns as mature and heartening as the resonant baritone voice writing them. In “Corralling the Blues,” Wall sings about depression and its largely unaddressed presence in agricultural communities and individuals.

Colter Wall’s music continues to carry on the traditional sounds of his prairie homelands, while connecting a contemporary world to the values, hardships, and celebrations of rural life. From the titular track he sings, “You might not see a soul for days on them high and lonesome plains. You got to fill the big empty with little songs.”