The grandson of country pioneer Hank Williams and son of outlaw legend Hank Jr., Sam Williams is the latest in a long line of American originals, but he’s not here for the sake of tradition or legacy.

His songs grapple with revelatory introspection that belies their author’s young age. “When you’re coming out of adolescence and into early adulthood, you’re really reconciling where you come from with who you are and who you want to be.”

He sings with his own voice, and writes in his own style, fusing gut-wrenching honesty, poetry, vulnerability and empathy.

“At the end of the day, I wasn’t interested in making something just to say I did it or to pat myself on the back for honoring some kind of family tradition. A legacy doesn’t mean anything if you’re not carrying it on with truth and integrity. I want to make Katie and my grandparents in heaven so proud. I owe it to them.” After all, as Williams so eloquently sings on the album, you can’t fool your own blood.