Kaitlin Butts’ Love for Cleto Cordero Inspires “How Lucky Am I”

photo: Robert Millage

For some years now, one of the most promising feminine voices and songwriters in Texas country (and country in general) has been Oklahoma native Kaitlin Butts. Despite only one solid studio record in the form of 2015’s Same Hell, Different Devil, her appearances at festivals and shows—including with now husband and Flatland Cavalry frontman Cleto Cordero—has put her on the map and near the top of the heap of voices fans want to hear more from.

Maybe she’s not prolific (at least not yet), but whenever Kaitlin Butts releases a song, you best look alive and listen, because it’s bound to be something special. That was certainly the case for her 2019 murder ballad “White River,” which had us all quaking in our boots and calling for more. And that’s equally true for this true country song released to coincide with Valentine’s Day called “How Lucky Am I.”

Composed as a Valentine to Cleto Cordero—who reportedly was blocked from Kaitlin’s social media channels as she served hints to her fans about the song—it’s a sweet, well-written and super country track that works as an answer to the Flatland Cavalry song “Honeywine,” which was released in 2018, and was about Kaitlin and Cleto falling in love at the Larry Joe Taylor Festival in Stephenville, TX while polishing off a bottle of the adult beverage.

Featuring a bold and confident vocal performance from Kaitlin and superb steel guitar, “How Lucky Am I” is enough to get even the heartbroken and socially distanced to crack a smile and tap their toe. Written by Kaitlin herself and produced by Oran Thornton in Nashville at OmniSound Studio, hopefully this song is the next taste of a new record from Kaitlin, who recently revealed she’s been in the studio lately recording.

After Kaitlin Butts and Cleto Cordero recently released a T-shirt of the two titled “The Corderos,” it sent off rumors that maybe the two had run off and formed a duo together. That may be in the offing at some point, and they did just both move to Nashville together. But at the moment we’ll just settle for the love of these two inspiring great songs from each other. That’s certainly the case with “How Lucky Am I.”

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