Corey Kent brings Heartland Rock and Roll to the Dusty Armadillo on Jan. 31

The country-rock singer behind "Rocky Mountain Low" and "Empty Words" plays Rootstown's honky-tonk on a late-January Sunday afternoon.

The hardwood at the Dusty Armadillo has carried a lot of boots over the years, and on the last Sunday of January it gets a headliner who is riding the best year of his career. Corey Kent is coming to Rootstown.

Corey Kent plays the Dusty Armadillo on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2027, with a 5 p.m. start. The date was announced Nov. 3, and tickets are through the Dusty Armadillo's own box office. An early Sunday show in a 1,000-capacity honky-tonk means you can be home before the workweek starts — and that the room will be full of people who planned their weekend around it.

Kent arrives with a new record to play. Heartland Rock and Roll, his third studio album, came out Sept. 25 on Sony Music Nashville, a 16-track set that he has described as fusing country, rock and soul. The title is a statement of intent: this is a singer who has never fit neatly into one lane and has decided to name the lane himself.

The album gathers the songs that got him here. "Rocky Mountain Low," his duet with Koe Wetzel, became a top-10 hit, and "Empty Words" took on a life of its own — Kent rushed it out early in February after fans demanded it, then sent it to country radio in June as the album's second single. It climbed to No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Wannabe," a stripped-back soul turn, and "Cigarette Burns" are on there too, as is "Don't Stop Now," a late-night slow-burn that closes the record. Expect a set that leans hard on all of it.

The room is the other reason to go. The Dusty Armadillo, at 3147 State Route 44, has been open as a country club and dance hall since June 2002, about 20 minutes east of Akron. It is the kind of place reviewers call a classic honky-tonk — no frills, done right — with a full bar and a dance floor that gets used. It has a track record with headliners, too: Eric Church played it on his six-club tour in 2014, and in October 2019 Garth Brooks brought his Dive Bar Tour to Rootstown, which is still the night people around here bring up first.

Kent's sound — loud guitars, big hooks, a voice with some grit in it — fits that history. A song like "Empty Words" plays one way on the radio and another way in a packed room where everyone already knows the words.

A few tips: Route 44 can be slow in January weather, so give yourself time. Check the Dusty's listing for age rules before you go. And if line dancing is your thing, this is your floor.

The last day of January is usually a quiet one. In Rootstown this year, it is a Sunday worth getting out of the house for.

Sources: Corey Kent readies Heartland Rock and Roll arriving in September (MusicRow) (musicrow.com); Corey Kent announces new album Heartland Rock and Roll (Combustion Music) (combustionmusic.com); Country-Rock Maverick Corey Kent Names His Sound On New Album 'Heartland Rock And Roll' (That Eric Alper) (thatericalper.com); Empty Words (song) (Wikipedia) (en.wikipedia.org); Corey Kent Fast-Tracks 'Empty Words' After Viral Fan Demand (Rockshot) (rockshotmagazine.com); Corey Kent strips it back with soul-stirring single Wannabe (Country in the UK) (countryintheuk.com); Corey Kent Don't Stop Now (ArtistRack) (artistrack.com); Dusty Armadillo celebrates 15th anniversary (Cleveland Country Magazine) (clevelandcountrymagazine.com); The Dusty Armadillo (Raised Rowdy) (raisedrowdy.com); Garth Brooks Dive Bar concert at The Dusty Armadillo (garthbrooks.com) (garthbrooks.com); Garth Brooks to bring Dive Bar Tour to Rootstown Dusty Armadillo (WKYC) (wkyc.com); The Dusty Armadillo Concert History (Concert Archives) (concertarchives.org); Corey Kent at Dusty Armadillo tickets (dustya.com) (dustya.com)