Conroe’s own Parker McCollum is back with a self-titled album he says is his most raw and authentic yet. The new record drops at midnight, launching a busy tour schedule across the U.S.
Parker McCollum, a country star from Conroe, is releasing his fifth studio record, all by himself, at midnight. He calls it his most honest and focused collection yet. McCollum says the 14-song album has the raw, authentic sound he has always wanted to share. It includes new songs.
He said in a statement, "This is the best thing I have ever done." "This record is truthful." This is a raw record. This record is one hundred percent real, Parker, and it sounds great.
"What Kinda Man," the album's first song, came out in September 2024 and is already becoming a country radio hit. In addition to the standout tracks, "New York Is On Fire" and the collaboration with fellow Texan Cody Johnson on a cover of Danny O'Keefe's "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues" are also noteworthy.
McCollum spent many days as a child in Conroe on the land his grandparents owned along FM 2854. He sings about this place in his song "Young Man's Blues." In a 2022 interview, he discussed how there was limited live music in the area when he was young, except for the Conroe Cajun Catfish Festival and the Montgomery County Fair.
McCollum's fame has continued to grow over the past few years. In 2024, he opened for George Strait at the record-setting "King at Kyle Field" event and sang with Miranda Lambert at the CMA Awards as a tribute to Strait. He was also famous when he went to Rodeo Houston with his wife, Hallie Ray Light, and their son, Major.
McCollum kicked off a new tour Thursday night in Virginia, with upcoming Texas stops including Dallas on July 19 and a special show at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands on Sept. 6—a venue close to his heart.
“This feels like a new chapter,” McCollum said in a recent Facebook reel. “This is the most focused and committed I’ve been since I first picked up a guitar as a kid.”
Fans can find the album starting at midnight on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.
