Hello reader,
Welcome back. How are you?
Today, we’re going to delve into Joelton Mayfield. Timing and completing the dotting of all the i’s and crossing of all the t’s within the creative process differ for every artist and often vary from album to album. Some musicians can put out multiple albums in a year, while others put out one every 5, 10, or more years. There’s never a wrong answer, and as listeners and advocates of music, we must remember that not just now in the present moment or when we reflect upon the past, but always.
The conservative, Christian small-town central Texas native, now Nashville-based musician, Joelton Mayfield, has led an interesting life before venturing into indie music. In 2019, Mayfield released a five-song EP titled I Hope You Make It. From the press release of his upcoming album, “​​By the winter of 2021, Mayfield had done nearly a decade of work to prepare his debut album. As a teenager, he toiled for years as the music director of his Texas church, despite doubts about Christianity’s role in his life. Eventually, he shipped off to Nashville and studied the songwriters around him, joined a series of college bands, and drifted into the edges of the city’s indie rock and alt-country enclaves, building a patchwork of players he trusted in the process.Â
The press release further describes that setting and moments in time, “In February of 2021, Joelton drove two trailers and several carloads of gear to a farm near Alabama’s Mobile Bay, turning the family barn of a bandmate friend into an ad hoc studio. Days before Mayfield was set to make his first full-length testimonial, he experienced a shattering breakup. He was moody, distraught, and distracted, yet he was surrounded by musical friends from Texas and Nashville, recording songs that had, in a way, already saved his life. Alongside a band that sometimes numbered nearly a dozen, Mayfield rendered these ten songs with radical urgency, clinging to his own words like a life preserver.”
And now, on Friday, October 24th, 2025, the world gets to hear Mayfield’s debut album, Crowd Pleaser. The album is out via the fantastic Bloodshot Records on Friday, October 24th, for your listening pleasure.
Giving credit where it’s due. Crowd Pleaser album credits:
- All songs written and sung by Joelton Mayfield. Mayfield also sang lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo, Fender Rhodes, auxiliary percussion, synthesizer, harmonica, slide whistle, background vocals, group vocals, and field recording
- Austin Arnold performed drums, auxiliary percussion, chord organ, synthesizer, and sang group vocals
- Alberto Sewald mixed the album at Le Tricycle in Nashville, Tennessee, and performed bass guitar, baritone guitar, synthesizer, background vocals, and sang group vocals
- Nick Johnston played Fender Rhodes, upright piano, Hammond M3, vibraphone, synthesizer, electric guitar, and sang group vocals
- Lane Rodges played synthesizer, resampling, field recording, sound manipulation, and sang group vocals
- Paula Ramirez sang background vocals and sang group vocals
- Logan Chung played electric guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo, synthesizer, violin, field recording, and sang group vocals
- Bennett Littlejohn played pedal steel, lap steel, Dobro, and group vocals
- Ross Collier played Omnichord, Therevox, synthesizer, and group vocals
- Hunt Pennington played electric guitar, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, and field recording
- Linda Parrott sang background vocals, played pedal steel, and sang group vocals
- Ben Thomas played bass guitar, mandolin, synthesizer, and sang background vocals
- Heaven Schmitt sang background vocals and group vocals
- Noah Pope sang background vocals
- George Seay played electric guitar, slide guitar
- Allie Cuva sang background vocals
- Dave Meyer played clarinet
- Tommy Creighton played trumpet
- Crowd Pleaser was recorded mostly live in Fairhope, Alabama, in a big, two-story barn between February 5th and February 28th, 2021.Â
- Crowd Pleaser was mastered by Connor Gilmore at Gold Sounds Mastering in Los Angeles, California, and mastered for vinyl by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl.
And now for some hype for your ears and eyes via Mayfield’s YouTube channel:
The collage of imagery that exists along with live performing of Mayfield within the video for the gorgeous song, “The Shore”:
(All credits and rights to Joelton Mayfield)
A nine-piece band performs in the video for the fantastically reflective song, “Speechwriter.”:
(All credits and rights to Joelton Mayfield)
Mayfield showcases his songwriting, guitar playing, and melody composition alongside an excellent cast in the video for the song, “Turpentine (You Know the One)”:
(All credits and rights to Joelton Mayfield)
Overall, Crowd Pleaser comes out of the gates swinging in terms of how much quality is inside, establishing Joelton Mayfield as a musician who’s here to stay. We will all be hearing more from him in the future. The opening song, “Red Beam,” is very ethereal and spaced-out in its melody, featuring synth and production to set the stage for the artist in the album’s longest song. It’s coupled with and grounded by powerfully delivered vocals from Mayfield and group vocals that become earworm-worthy harmonies. The group vocals continue throughout the album and, each time, create beautiful harmonies and add so much depth to the lyrics and the existing vocals. Kudos all around. There are many examples, but one of the best dueling-sounding harmonies is on “Jacob Dreamed a Staircase.”
Kudos as well to all the musicians who, on a myriad of well-played and well-placed instruments, add to gorgeous soundscapes that vary in subgenre but often are in the modern alt-country, post-country, or Americana realm. Listen for yourself and tell me what you hear. All of these musicians are listed in the credits section above. Each enhances the tone, adding depth and greater meaning to the lyrics and vocals. Both pedal and lap steel will grab your ears and not let go. You’ll love the synth, organ, guitar work, drums, strings, percussion, and more. You even get to experience a quick banjo intro on the song “Blame.” I feel that “Turpentine (You Know the One)” is the most rollicking song within Crowd Pleaser when it is at 100%, eliciting some fantastic piano and then honky tonk bar sounding moments. The pace slows in the following song, “Now,” which is heavy on drumwork and strings, with vocals delivered more slowly. To me, the construction evokes some great ’90s alt-country tunes. What do you hear?
There’s a lot of well-crafted lyrics within the album, and in fact, most showcase Mayfield’s songwriting prowess. He proves in this album that he’s excellent at capturing a range of emotions from pen to song, including, but not limited to, angst, despair, love, and frustration. With plenty of time reflecting, but not living entirely in the past. And definitely not with rose-tinted glasses. The songs stick with you as you listen and afterward as well. This is a beautiful thing. I’ll highlight “The Shore”, “Turpentine (You Know the One)”, “Pretty Linda”, and “Baltimore” as examples of songs with exceptional lyrics that still, after a few listens, stand out to me. The angst of the lyrics in “Turpentine (You Know the One)” pairs perfectly with the drawl and drone of the pedal steel. It’s one of numerous examples on this album. The accompanying melody again is proof of Mayfield’s compositional skill. The lyrics in the closing track, “Mouth Breather,” drop the album title and other attributes over a memorable acoustic guitar melody and harmonized vocals.
Not only surrounding himself with talented musicians, but he also gets a great deal out of himself as well. Even after one full-length album, Joelton Mayfield is on his way. Deservedly so.
Crowd Pleaser gets 4.5 out of 5 Scum Drops from me. Maybe in the middle of that range? It’s really fucking good! From start to finish. The album may become your favorite new album release of 2025. It truly is one hell of a debut, offering a wonderfully listenable experience. If you’re new to SWT, here is our review ratings system. Add this album to your collection on the formats of your choosing. I’ll recommend owning a copy of it on vinyl.
I’ll always advocate that you take the time to listen to every album in its entirety. The listening process with Crowd Pleaser will take just 42 minutes from start to finish. Along the way, you’ll discover your own favorite songs without the influence or bias of others. After a few listens on my own, I found the songs highlighted in bold font below to be my favorite songs on this album.
The Crowd Pleaser Track listing [song length]
- Red Beam [6:42]
- The Shore [5:14]
- Speechwriter [4:31]
- Turpentine (You Know the One) [3:38]
- Now [4:28]
- Jacob Dreamed a Staircase [4:23]
- Blame [3:52]
- Pretty Linda [4:00]
- Baltimore [4:35]
- Mouth Breather [4:27]
Total runtime: 42:40
Want to learn more or follow Mayfield’s socials? Check out his site, Instagram, and Facebook, and hear more on Apple Music, Spotify, Bandcamp, and YouTube.
Thank you for reading and supporting good music.
Until next time,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site: scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions!
Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
