(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Grammy Award-nominated Texas singer-songwriter Hayes Carll brings his roots-oriented original songs to Club Helsinki Hudson on Thursday, December 29, at 8pm. Carll is equally known for his outspoken politically-infused rockers and his self-described “degenerate love songs.” His most recent album, “Lovers and Leavers,” came out earlier this year. Singer-songwriter Allison Moorer will warm up the crowd for Carll with her country-inflected brand of folk-rock.

As a songwriter, Carll was nominated for Best Country Song at the 2016 Grammy Awards, for “Chances Are,” which was recorded by Lee Ann Womack.

Often compared to Texas precursors such as Townes Van Zandt and Jerry Jeff Walker, Carll shares with them a plainspoken style that often disguises a sharp and biting wit.

Carll’s sixth album, “Lovers and Leavers,” was uniformly hailed with rave reviews from Folk Alley, Slate (“the best album of his career”), Saving Country Music, and AllMusic, among others. Rolling Stone called him “the cynical poet laureate of men who have more luck at the bottle than in the sack” in a feature interview that revealed, yes, Carll and Moorer – ex- of Steve Earle – are a couple. Watch them play a duet for NPR here.

My favorite tune off the new album is “Sake of the Song,” which sounds to me like it could have sat comfortably on Bob Dylan’s “Time Out of Mind.” See him perform it live here at Paste Studios.

The 40-year-old Carll’s fifth album, “KMAG YOYO” – a sort of updated version of Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” — was a huge critical success:  the Americana Music Association voted it the best album of 2011, and Spin Magazine voted it #3 in the category of Best Country/Americana. American Songwriter voted the song “Another Like You” the top song of 2011 and the album #6. Rolling Stone ranked “KMAG YOYO” (the acronym in the title is military slang for “Kiss my ass, guys, you’re on your own”) at #46 of best singles of 2011  and the album #47 on their list of “50 Country Albums Every Rock Fan Should Own.”

Breaking down genres, Carll is equally adept at playing rock clubs and honkytonks, Bonnaroo, Stones Fest, SXSW and NXNE. He’s been described as a cross between Ray Wylie Hubband and Todd Snider.

Singer-songwriter Allison Moorer is the younger sister of country singer Shelby Lynne (the two of them have finally recorded a duo album which is due out in 2017). She garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for “A Soft Place to Fall,” which was featured in Robert Redford’s film “The Horse Whisperer.”

For reservations in The Restaurant or in the club call 518.828.4800.