On his eagerly anticipated fourth solo album, Houston’s Robert Ellis explores the bleak emotional terrain of crumbled relationships (and those on the edge of crumbling), as well as ecstatic declarations of longing and adoration. The traditional country-song formula fits those narratives like a Stetson, but Ellis is continuing to dodge categorization. Through 11 songs, Robert Ellis spans genres, and even embodies several all at once. NPR’s Ann Powers wrote: “He's the kind of artist that a descriptive like ‘Americana’ can only partially serve; what he takes from obvious inspirations like Paul Simon, Charlie Rich and Joni Mitchell is as much a commitment to musical eclecticism as a facility for storytelling.”

Ellis and bandmates Kelly Doyle (guitar), Geoffrey Muller (bass), Will Van Horn (pedal steel guitar) and “Tank” Lisenbe (drums), visited Houston Public Media’s Geary Studio to record the songs “California” and “How I Love You.” Both songs appear on the new record, which was released today.