Charley Crockett Review

Texas crooner Charley Crockett covers King George at RodeoHouston debut

Charley Crockett

Courtesy of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

If Zach Top looked and sounded like he was transported straight from the rodeo lineup in 1995, Monday night’s headliner Charley Crockett would have been perfect in 1972, holding his own during an afternoon matinee with Glen Campbell in the Astrodome.

Turning in a career-spanning set, an introduction for the newbies and a heart hug for the diehards in the crowd, Crockett’s cinematic sound translated effortlessly inside NRG Stadium. You know when Bob Tallman -- the voice of RodeoHouston -- says he loves that you’re in the right building.

One of RodeoHouston’s most esoteric picks in some time, the San Benito-born Crockett has released 14 albums since his debut in 2015. Crockett’s latest album is Lonesome Drifter, and it comes less than a year since 2024’s $10 Cowboy and its direct sequel Visions of Dallas. On Crockett’s last few records, he’s dipped into genteel, countrypolitan shades of sound: gorgeous strings, angelic backing vocals, Elvis Presley-style gospel flourishes. Sporting production by outlaw royalty Shooter Jennings, Lonesome Drifter is his first on major label Island Records and a definitive career statement.

Just before 9:30 pm, Crockett drove his damn self out to the starred stage in a classic Ford Thunderbird to meet his band, the Blue Drifters, kicking off with the world-weary “Game I Can’t Win,” the opening cut from Lonesome Drifter.

Crockett’s striking voice diverted into country music after he explored blues and soul textures early in his career. That was most evident on Monday night’s “I’m Just A Clown” and “Hard Luck & Circumstances,” two early standouts. Like kindred spirit and RodeoHouston alum Leon Bridges, Crockett bridges the gap between classic soul and country. He followed up James Hand’s rockabilly rave-up “Don’t Tell Me That” by riding one of the points of the starred stage into the air for “Life Of A Country Singer,” one of the most biting songs from the new album.

Crockett may have become the first man on Earth to cover Link Wray’s feral “Juke Box Mama” in a football stadium on Monday night. The latter has been in his live repertoire for the past year. The cowboy swinger “Trinity River” has been a constant in Crockett’s discography, debuting back in 2015 on A Stolen Jewel and reappearing on 2022’s The Man from Waco album. We’d like to see him revisit it in 2029 if he can.

Seeing Crockett on such a large stage was surreal for an avowed fan like myself. I’ve seen him in venues smaller than an NRG Stadium men’s room, the late Montrose honkytonk Goodnight Charlie’s, and at music festivals in Georgetown, Texas. Just a year ago, Crockett headlined the backstage patio at the Armadillo Palace and returned to play the 713 Music Hall in the early fall.

There have been many George Strait covers in 2025 at RodeoHouston, including efforts by Brad Paisley and Zach Top. King George’s influence looms large here, where he’s played in front of millions of people. Earnest and swaggery at the same time, Crockett ended his debut rodeo appearance with “Amarillo By Morning.”

This cowboy (and his bride) rode away not on a horse but in a Thunderbird.

Setlist
Game I Can’t Win
One Trick Pony
Good At Losing
I’m Just A Clown
Sidewinder
Hard Luck & Circumstances
Spade
That’s How I Got To Memphis
The Valley
Jamestown Ferry
Don’t Tell Me That
Hold It
Life Of A Country Singer
Juke Box Mama (Link Wray Cover)
$10 Cowboy
Welcome To Hard Times
Trinity River
Lonesome Drifter
Run Horse Run
Five More Miles

Amarillo By Morning (George Strait cover)

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Movie Review

Over-the-top thriller The Housemaid revels in camp, chaos, and excess

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid.

Both Amanda Seyfried (the upcoming The Testament of Ann Lee) and Sydney Sweeney (Christy) are starring in movies with Oscar ambitions this year. By sheer coincidence, the two actors are also co-starring in The Housemaid, a thriller coming out within weeks of their more ambitious works, one that is likely to be seen by many more people than those prestige plays.

Sweeney is given top billing as Millie, a down-on-her-luck ex-convict looking to land any type of job so as not to break her parole. She finds a too-good-to-be-true lifeboat with Nina (Seyfried), who hires her to be a housemaid for her large house on Long Island, where she lives with her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), and daughter, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).

After a warm interview, Nina almost immediately becomes highly erratic, whipping back-and-forth between happy-go-lucky and rageful. It seems clear that Nina is suffering from mental health issues, as she’ll often accuse Millie of misplacing or stealing items that she didn’t take. Andrew, apparently used to Nina’s tirades, tries to protect Millie from the worst, something that grows increasingly difficult as Nina ups the ante.

Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor) and adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine from the bestselling book by Freida McFadden, the film is likely the trashiest mainstream movie to come out in 2025. The first half of the movie relies not on story but on moments as Nina embodies the word “hysterical” to an unbelievable extent. The resigned acceptance of the abuse by Millie, as well as the saintly patience of Andrew, make almost every scene laughable, as nobody seems to be acting anywhere close to how a person would normally react to such extreme situations.

The scenes and the performance of Seyfried are so over-the-top, in fact, that it’s clear that the filmmakers are in on the joke. It’s next to impossible not to have a little bit of fun while watching the actors react to outrageous incidents as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The worse Nina acts, the more Millie and Andrew retreat into their chosen roles, and the funnier the film becomes.

Fans of the book will know that the story changes course, eventually turning into a more stereotypical thriller that also has some relatively gnarly visuals to offer. But the trashiness continues, with Sweeney’s, um, assets repeatedly on display in both clothed and unclothed ways. The sex appeal of the R-rated movie makes it an outlier, as recent studio films have shied away from asking their big stars to disrobe completely.

Both Seyfried and Sweeney are far from their Oscar hopeful roles here. Seyfried is given free rein to act as brazenly as she pleases, and she takes full advantage of that ability. Sweeney seems to have been told to be much more reserved, and unfortunately that results in too many wooden line readings. Sklenar continues his breakout streak (It Ends with Us, Drop) with a role that allows him to show more range than either Seyfried or Sweeney.

The Housemaid is an unusual type of movie to be released at a time of year when most films are either those aiming for awards or more family-friendly fare. Despite its many flaws, it’s still an enjoyable watch that features a variety of crazy scenarios not typically seen in movies nowadays.

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The Housemaid is now playing in theaters.

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Movie Review

Over-the-top thriller The Housemaid revels in camp, chaos, and excess