Stoney LaRue's mellow jam "Hill Country Boogaloo" is the kind of vibe you hope for when you check in to see him live in concert. The Texan has shared this live performance of the song with Taste of Country readers.

"Hill Country Boogaloo" is found on LaRue's new Onward album, released last Friday (Nov. 1). After a long, bluesy introduction, the country-funk song celebrates Texas landmarks like Gruene Hall and John T. Floore's Country Store in Helotes, Texas. Lone Star Beer and the Guadalupe River are a few other specific touchstones.

"Everybody throws in Shiner Bock or a 'Texas wind' in songs about Texas, but they're not being specific," LaRue says, calling "Hill Country Boogaloo" an homage. "There's too many generalities."

Born in Texas but raised in Oklahoma, LaRue knows of what he sings. He's a Red Dirt staple with no fewer than eight albums to his name (including live albums), but Onward is actually his first in more than four years. It comes with some built-in prestige. Tanya Tucker joins him for "Meet Me in the Middle," and LaRue chose to cut one of this grandparents' favorite songs by Merle Haggard for the record: "Let's Chase Each Other Around the Room."

Gary Nicholson produced the project. He also wrote much of it, including "Worry Be Gone" with the late Guy Clark and Lee Roy Parnell. Visit LaRue's website for more information on Onward and for his latest tour dates.

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