When Clay Walker was singing on Lopez Tonight a couple of weeks ago, I was thinking that I could almost make a living out of loving him. I have felt that way since 1994, when I bought his If I Could Make a Living album. For 16 years I've been crazy about his voice. On Lopez, he did "She Won't Be Lonely Long," which is a great tune made even better with his subtle Texas twang. But what has me even more wound up is his new one, "Where Do I Go From You?" It's so him. With mandolin and steel behind him, he seems to have one-upped himself musically and vocally. He sounds like a cross between Rascal Flatts' Gary LeVox and George Strait on this one. I know that may not sound like a straight-up combination, but I swear it works.

On paper, it's just a break-up song. But lyrically, asking questions like "Where does a man have to go to get over the truth?" and "Where do I go from you?" sets the song apart from your typical boo-hoo heartbreakers. As Walker says, "You can just get lost in the groove or you can ponder the lyrics ... it goes down good either way."

From "Rumor Has It" and "The Chain of Love" to "A Few Questions" and "'Fore She Was Mama," I've been quietly loving his every move even when radio did not. (I didn't care for the video for "Fall" but I can overlook one song and still love the rest.) If you don't have the new album, you can stream his latest song on Walker's MySpace page. Then come back here and tell us what you think. Am I right about the LeVox-Strait thing?

Courtesy of cmt.com

 By: Alison Bonaguro