Clay Walker was a successful major label artist until a merger saw him made redundant (so to speak). Walker can sing a ballad well: ‘It Ain’t Pretty (But It’s Beautiful)’ takes homelessness as its theme and Walker sings with feeling, even if the track does ooze sentimentality. This time out he has written or co-written several of the tracks. The highlight is a version of ‘Before The Next Teardrop Falls’, recorded with the late Freddy Fender shortly before his death. Walker has a fine voice, and given the right material can deliver the goods.