From the fear of getting hurt that walks hand in hand with the rush of falling in love ("Accidentally Break My Heart") to the futility of running a corporate rat race that can't be won ("Move Around Money"), Owen Temple knows a thing or two about the little (and big) contradictions that make life interesting. Listening to his latest album, Right Here and Now, you might conclude he's obsessed with the subject. And you'd be right. "What I'm really drawn to," the Kerrville-born, Dallas-based singer-songwriter explains, "are situations or thoughts or moments that have some drama or conflict to them. All those problems in relationships or life that don't seem to have a really easy answer and that sometimes seem contradictory with what the truth is. I like to find those cool little psychological states - those little pieces of personality and beauty - and try to communicate them through song."

And on Right Here and Now, his third album, Temple does just that - fashioning song after song of keenly phrased observations that pack as much honest wisdom as they do melodic, homespun folk and honky-tonk punch. Smartly produced by Phil Madeira [Buddy Miller, Greg Trooper], it's an album that confirms Temple's promise as first suggested by 1997's General Store and 1999's Passing Through, positioning him even farther off the beaten path of the run-of-the-mill, modern day Texas troubadour. In the tradition of writers'-writers like Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell and Bruce Robison, it's country music crafted for reflection as well as for celebration, and dancing is always encouraged. "I love the sound of steel guitar, the sound of fiddle, the sound of harmonies," explains Temple, "but I also identify with folk. When I think of country at its best, I think of Merle Haggard and Hank Williams records and the way they took folk ideas to a bigger audience. It's not so clear what country music is anymore, but I would say my music still sounds like the country I like."

Temple has never settled for anything less than that high standard, which is why the 26 year-old still proudly draws on songs dating back to his debut during his performances, be they solo acoustic or backed by a full band. But his growth as a songwriter between then and Right Here and Now is considerable, as he's moved beyond such detailed character sketches as General Store's "James' Blues" to explore a much broader but no less vivid canvas, looking beyond what he sees to ponder what it means. Thus, the three character portraits painted in the new album's "Little Sweet Loss" - each one worthy of a song all their own - are there merely to illustrate the song's message: it's the little frailties we all share that make us human and endearing to each other. "People you're passing on the street / They're the friends you may never meet / And everybody's paid the cost / of a little sweet loss." In "This Ain't Las Vegas," a bum hand dealt in Sin City sends Temple home with an empty wallet but renewed faith in the real world, where the house doesn't always win and true hearts aren't always bound to lose every time love is laid on the line. Similarly, in "No Daring is Fatal" - already a hit on Texas country radio and beyond from Victoria to Dallas to Sweden and Australia- Temple concludes that the only way to win in the real world is to live and love boldly: "If we don't step on the stage we might as well not raise the curtain."

"With my songwriting I'm just trying to constantly explore what's interesting to me, and I try and frame it in three minutes, three verses and a couple of choruses that are hopefully interesting to other people too," says Temple. "I spend a lot time pondering these little emotional puzzles, and maybe I could sell them in a little bit simpler way to make them more mainstream, but odds are somebody's going to have to dial in their attention a little bit more to appreciate them. But I have found that there are a lot of people who are willing to dial in their attention and who are intrigued by the same little moments in life that I find interesting."

Over the last year, Temple has committed himself to finding such fans one at a time, show by show, city by city and town by town. It's been the first time in his career that he's been able to devote his full attention to his music, thanks to his decision last year to walk away from his 9 to 5 job as a financial analyst. It was a pretty big gamble - especially for a married man - but no daring is fatal, this ain't Las Vegas, and right here and now, Temple is a happy man, living his dream.

"My experience has been different from that of a lot of other artists," says the man who traded in his cubicle and 401k for greener, bolder pastures. "There are people who've known all their life what they wanted to do without having to try other things. My journey has made me certain that music is what I need to be doing."

Profile courtesy of Unrest Music Group.