Where the pines meet the water

Clearlake & Co. began the way most good things in Hope, Arkansas do — on a porch, with the sun going down behind the pines and somebody's grandmother keeping time with her foot. Band leader Autry Lee Hatfield Jr writes nearly all of the band's material, and his songs sound like where he's from: lake water and red dirt, tent revivals and county fairs, the long drive between small towns.

The sound is roots pop — warm, melodic, and built for singing along. The family tree runs back through the Appalachian hills, where the Hatfields learned harmony the old way, voice to voice. The polish runs through Nashville, where Autry sharpened his craft on songwriting that says a hard thing gently. Put together, it's music that feels like home even if you've never been there.

And underneath all of it runs a steady current of faith. These are songs about the God who doesn't give up on people — sung without pretense, for anyone who's ever needed a second chance. The band releases new material as singles, one song at a time, the way seeds get planted.