A born frontman who thrives under the heat of stage lights, River House Artists’ Reid Haughton is an emerging singer-songwriter at the crossroads of country, Southern rock, soul, and more, now rising to a new plane of creative existence. Offering up a rebellious, half-wild intensity with no rules or stylistic taboos, his Higher Than 9 album debut captures something few Nashville artists can claim – the euphoric essence of a badass bar band.

A Haleyville, Alabama, native raised on the musical grit endemic to the Deep South, his influences range from Lynyrd Skynyrd and Wilson Pickett to Hank Williams Jr. and beyond, combined with a love for The Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, and more. Attending Auburn University, Haughton majored in making good times roll before establishing a grassroots regional following and making the move to Nashville in 2020.

With his 2023 self-titled EP, sharp-elbowed tracks like “Day You Don’t,” “She Is,” and “Can’t Please ‘Em All” helped establish his live-show focus while years on tour (most recently with Whiskey Myers and 49 Winchester) reinforced his road-warrior credentials.

Now, Higher Than 9 doubles down, running on pure instinct. Co-writing seven of nine tracks, the album captures the thrill of a locked-in band blaring country and rock at full volume late into the night but also weaves in the full course of Haughton’s Nashville education. Returning to the studio with Sadler Vaden (Grammy-winning guitarist for Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit and producer of Haughton’s self-titled EP), Haughton’s natural nose for hard driving, guitar-focused rock ‘n’ roll gets a bold funk ‘n’ soul flourish, and a strutting vocal worthy of the “front man” label. Most importantly, every song was recorded in a way that preserved its raw, live-band essence, with expressive freedom oozing out of every lick.