Richard Cabesa’s Music Blog

As we near the end of the first half of 2007, I thought it would be a good time to review the songs so far this year, and put together my list of top songs.  So, here it is:

1. Oklahoma Breakdown, Stoney LaRue - Song has been in the top 5 for 21 straight weeks (since 1/29), including 4 weeks at #1.  More impressively, after a 3 week run at #1,returned to #1 five weeks later.

2. Lips of An Angel - Jack Ingram - Fifteen straight weeks in the top 5, including 11 in a row from 1/29 through 4/9.

3. Dixie Lullaby - Pat Green - Song never reached #1 on the chart, but spent 14 consecutive weeks in the top 5.

4. Up and Gone - Jason Boland - Peaked at #1 for 2 weeks and has spent the last 15 weeks in the top 5, currently at #2.

5. Texas to You - Johnny Cooper - Eighteen year old peaked at #5 on 4/16, but has 17 weeks in the top 25.

6. Careless - Mickey & The Motorcars - Also peaked at #5 (4/9).  That was the only week in the top 5, but has current steak of 16 straight weeks in the top 25.

7. Color You Gone - Jay Boy Adams - Veteran singer returned to the scene with this hit that spent 20 weeks in the top 25.  Peaked at #7 (4/30).

8.  San Angelo - Aaron Watson - Another song that peaked at #5 (4/2).  Song is on current streak of 17 weeks in the top 25.

9.  Between Here and the Front Door - Brandon Rhyder - Didn’t reach top 25 until 2/19 and has spent the last 15 weeks in the top 25.  Has yet to crack top 5.

10. Late Last Night - Cross Canadian Ragweed - Actually released at the end of 2006, spent the first 18 weeks of 2007 in top 25, including 1 week in top 5 (2/12).

11. Queen of the Misfits - Rich O’Toole - Former Texas A&M pitcher spend last part of 2006 in top 10 with this song, then had 15 weeks in the top 25 to start 2007.  This included 8 weeks in the top 5, peaking at #4.

12. Why Did We Ever Say Goodbye - Brandon Jenkins - Sixteen straight weeks in the top 25 for the big man, although never in the top 5.

13. One More Goodbye - Randy Rogers Band - First hit the chart on 3/26 and has now been there for 13 straight weeks.  This included a four week stay in the top 5.

14. Never Come Back - No Justice - This song was another late addition, hitting the chart on 3/19.  First cracked the top 5 on 5/21, then peaked last week at #1.  By year’s end, this will easily be a top 5 song.

15. Lay It All On You - Wade Bowen - Spent the first 15 weeks of 2007 in the top 25, including two stints in the top 5 (5 weeks total).

Others worth mentioning: 

What’s Wrong With Me, Todd Fritsch
Gotta Get Out, Larry Joe Taylor
Home To Texas, Ryan James
Million Miles Away, Shy Blakeman
Drifin’ in the Wind, Bart Crow Band
Pass Me That Bottle, Jimmy Kaiser
Perfect Girl, Ty England
Soft to the Touch, Bonnie Bishop
A Little Bit Stronger, Sonny Burgess
If I Could, Sunny Sweeney

Feel free to send your comments and debate this list.  I’m interested to see what songs you think should have made the list.

The first track on the album, called The Last Country Song, which is in the classic style of Jason Boland and the Stragglers.  I felt based on the title that this song would be a song about the end of traditional country music.  But the song is about the passing of something else.  It’s the passing of a generation and a way of life.

The title track The Bourbon Legend follows.  This song is seemingly an autobiographical look into the life of the singer, who by the way sounds more and more like Waylon Jennings with every release.   The first single released to radio was the crowd favorite No One Left To Blame.  This song was a hit on Texas radio, climbing to the top of the Texas Music Charts.  I absolutely love the song.  The momentum is lost on the next track.  Jesus & Ruger is probably my least favorite song on the album, but I’m really not sure why.  It isn’t a badly written song, and Boland sounds great as always, but something about the song just doesn’t catch me.  Every once in a while a song is like that, and this is one of them.   The current radio song is the love song Up and Gone.  The first few times I listened to this song, I wasn’t completely sold on it.  But it has grown on me, and has become one of my favorites.  The song is very well written, and Boland sounds very much like Waylon in this song.  In fact, if you close your eyes and listen closely, you would think it is Waylon.  This song is on the fast track to #1 on the Texas Music Chart.  Baby That’s Just Me is a cleverly written song.  I’m not sure of the quality of it, but I like lines like “I’ve gone crazy one cent at a time, I slipped and fell on my pride.”  The outlaw in Boland shines in Can’t Tell If I Drink.  This song will be hard pressed to ever find it’s way to mainstream country radio stations.  The lyrics are way too rebellious for the Rascal Flats listeners:  “Can’t tell if I drink because she bitches, or she bitches because I drink.”   Lonely By Choice is a song clouded in mystery.   The song could go in several different directions.  Which one I’m not sure of, but I like the song.  It has a nice rhythm to it and it’s well written.   Rattlesnakes, which Boland co-wrote with Bob Childers is another song that will never make it to the radio listener.  It’s a song about rattlesnakes, painted ladies, and cocaine -  three of the evils that no man should get involved with.  I can see this song becoming a fan favorite though, as it is as rough as Boland’s outlaw persona.  Time in Hell is a “whoa is me” song without sounding downtrodden and defeated.  It’s about hoping for something good, because he’s been through so much bad.  It’s a desperation song without sounding desperate.  The lyrics say it so well: “So put me on the red-eye flight, and let me find the sun; I’m not the first, won’t be the last, and all it takes is one; just take me far from this place, where the Garden of Eden fell; cuz I’m bound to go to Heaven, I’ve done spent my time in hell”. Boland doesn’t usually include many love songs, but Everyday Life is the second such song on this album, following Up and Gone.   It’s a good closer to this outstanding piece of work.

This album is vintage Jason Boland.  All Straggler fans will love this album.  I’ve always felt that Jason Boland was somebody you have to see live to appreciate.  I still feel that way, but that should not discourage you from getting this album.  And by all accounts, Boland is one of the nicest and fan friendliest guys in the business.  Do yourself the favor and get out and see him and the Stragglers.  You will be doing them a favor also, as they seem to thoroughly enjoy performing live in front of their screaming fans.  Success hasn’t changed Jason Boland and he is well on the way to becoming more than just the Bourbon Legend.

Before his campaign to be Texas Governor, the casual music fan had probably never heard of Kinky Friedman. Most Texans probably recognize him more for his detective novels more than his music.  Or they know of his work writing a monthly column for four years in Texas Monthly magazine.  Any now he’s known for his campaign slogan of “Why the Hell Not?”   When I first heard that Sustain Records was putting out a tribute album for the Kinkster, I couldn’t wait.  And of course, “Why the Hell Not?” was the appropriate title for such a tribute. There is a fine collection of music on this tribute CD, including artists such as Dwight Yoakum, Bruce and Charlie Robison, Reckless Kelly, and Jason Boland.  And it doesn’t even include songs such as We Reserve The Right To Refuse Service To You, Western Union Wire, Asshole from El Paso, and The Ballard of Charles Whitman, a song about the UT tower gunman in 1966.
My first Kinky experience was at the old Poor David’s Pub in Dallas, Texas in 1992.   By then most of his original band, The Texas Jewboys, no longer played with him.   Only Little Jewford still remained.  Previously, the band also consisted of humorous names:  Big Nig, Panama Red, Rainbow Colors and Snakebite Jacobs. He performed with Billy Joe Shaver that night, and I’ve been hooked on both ever since.  I immediately went out and bought the Old Testaments & New Revelations CD and I have since added to that collection. 
I like Friedman’s songwriting more so than his singing, and with the star studded lineup on this CD, that became even more apparent, as they consistently sing his songs better than he does.  The album opens with the humorous Get You Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed.  Kevin Fowler pulls this one off as only he can do.  He was perfect choice to sing this goofy song that has long been a Friedman classic.  Lyle Lovett is unbelievable singing Sold American.  This has never been one of my favorite Friedman songs, and Lovett has never been one of my favorite artists, but what he does with this song is beautiful.  I dare say his version is better than the original.   This is followed by Charlie Robison performing Wild Man From Borneo, which presumably was penned during his two years there in the Peace Corps.   Robison, like Lovett, nails this one.  I have no idea where Rapid City, South Dakota is but when Dwight Yoakum sings this song, he makes it sound like one of his own.  Yoakum has such a distinct sound, and is one of my all-time favorites; so naturally, I love his work on this song.   The greatness keeps rolling on The Gospel According To John, sung by Jason Boland.  This one is right up there with Lyle Lovett for tops on the album.  No punches were held by Todd Snider singing They Ain’t Making Jews Like Jesus Anymore, a song written by Friedman that faces racism and anti-Semitism eye to eye.  I love Bruce Robison, but he too, like Friedman, is a much better songwriter than singer.  Even with the brilliance of wife Kelly Willis singing, there is only so much he can do with Lady Yesterday.  This is the one lowlight of the album.  Some musicians are legends and sing the phone book and make it sound great.  Willie Nelson is one such legend.  He sings Ride ‘Em Jewboy, a remembrance of the Holocaust.  Like Yoakum, Nelson has his own distinctive sound and he hits a homerun on this recording.  Homo Erectus, a fun filled college song, is recorded by Reckless Kelly and Asleep at the Wheel.  I’m not sure this is the best song for either of them to sing, as something just isn’t there.   Another legend, Delbert McClinton, closes the album with the bluesy Autograph.  McClinton pours strong emotion into the song and it sounds wonderful.
Why the Hell Not: The Songs of Kinky Friedman proves that Kinky Friedman has long been a country maverick, even if the general public didn’t know who he was.  His gubernatorial campaign brought that into light and even shocked some people who had no idea to expect that from him.  When Friedman was writing and recording songs in the 1970s, there were no limits.  Everybody, every race, every religion wass a target.  As he says “he is an equal opportunity offender.”  And we wouldn’t have him any other way.  I’m just thankful that during this campaign he didn’t go away from who he is and become politically correct. He stayed true to himself until the last vote was counted.  His long storied career has included multiple albums, books, and other columns, and his candidacy for Texas Governor did not due justice to his talent and legacy.   With any luck at all, the will remain in the public eye and keep Austin in line.  Maybe by 2010, we’ll again be asking the question “Why the Hell Not?”  But for now, we are stuck with “Why the Hell Didn’t We?”  But at least we have his music to keep us busy until 2010.   Stay Kinky!

A lot of people probably remember Cooder Graw for the DodgeCommercials that featured their hit song, Llano Estacado.  But for Texas music fans, the group was far more than that.  But as they say in show business, all great things must end.  And with the conclusion of 2006, the curtains came down on Cooder Graw played at the Horseman Club in Ft. Worth, Texas. Cooder Graw, originally called “Coup de Grace” when they first formed in 1998, released its debut album that year – Home at the Golden Light, named because it was filmed live at the Golden Light Cantina in their hometown of Amarillo, Texas.  The album was self-produced by the band, although executive producer credit is given to Matthew McConaughey a fraternity brother of Matt Martindale.   The name change had already been made to Cooder Graw because there was already another band using the name “Coup de Grace”  Their first album featured mostly cover tunes such as Gary P. Nunn’s London Homesick Blues and Robert Earl Keen’s The Road Goes on Forever, but it was a sign to the masses that these guys could become stars.The original band consisted of Matt Martindale, Kelly Turner, Paul Baker, and Joe Ammons.   Martindale, the lead singer, Turner, and Baker lasted throughout the ride, while being joined along the way by Jimmy Whisenhunt, Nick Worley, Kelly Test, and John Hunt.   Cooder Graw was a diverse group, coming from all backgrounds.  Lead singer Matt Martindale, was the assistant district attorney of Gray County, Texas before becoming a full time artist.  Guitarist Kelly Turner was the manager of a manufacturing plant in Slaton, Texas.The band’s first “national release”, self-titled Cooder Graw was released in late 1999, and featured what would become their signature song Llano Estacado.   When Dodge featured the song in their TV commercials, the band found themselves thrust into the limelight in the state of Texas. With their self-professed loud and proud rocking country, they quickly became one of the hardest-working, most popular bands in Texas for the next several years.   In 2001, Segundo was released.  This album was primarily a combination remake of Home at the Golden Light and Cooder Graw.Also released in 2001, was Shifting Gears.  This album featured several hits including the title track, the humorous Willie’s Guitar, and my personal favorite, Better Days.   In Willie’s Guitar, the person doesn’t want to be famous.  All he wants his name on the legendary guitar. And he’ll do anything he can think up to get there -  like being caught sleeping in the car, not paying rent, stop getting haircuts, getting caught up in IRS affairs, and drinking whiskey every night.   This song showed the creative writing of Martindale.  Anybody that has gone through a breakup or divorce can relate to Better Days, when you see a happy couple kissing.   But the song inspires that one will eventually have “better days”.

When you are asked to record in the Live at Billy Bob’s series, then you know you have arrived.  And Cooder Graw achieved that status with the 2002 release of Live at Billy Bob’s.   The band’s final release was 2004’s Wake Up.    This CD featured the title track that rose quickly on the Texas Music Charts, as well as hits Clarksdale and That Girl Crystal.   Clarksdale is a rocking song that talks about temptation and the search for salvation, while That Girl Crystal sings about the dark side of drug abuse.The bands last show from the Horseman will be available on DVD soon, and it’s recommended that everybody buy it when it comes out.  It was great that the show was sold out and it was a very emotional setting.   There were several fans – men and women – that were in tears when Cooder Graw played Better Days for the last time.    As the guys go their separate ways, they will be forever linked together by their Better Days as Cooder Graw.  And rest assured that they have earned their spot on Willie’s Guitar, and they have made a Lifetime Stand in the hearts of Texas music fans. “I’ve had better days, in airports with rain delays.   Flat tires in traffic jams, and anytime I’ve been damned.  I’ve had better days, when the pain wouldn’t go away, and tears watering down my pride.  Yea, I’ve had better days.”  

Reckless Kelly has unmistakable energy on stage and great songwriting ability.  So when the band announced that it would record it’s show at La Zona Rosa in Austin, Texas, on March 31, 2006, most fans were excited.  There is also a DVD which was made of this show, but I have yet to see it.  The live CD did not disappoint, and listening to it is just like being there live.  The new CD, called Reckless Kelly Was Here, is a top notch effort from the Austin-based group.

The live CD opens with Sixgun, a song from the 2005 release Wicked Twisted Road. The guitar playing of Willie Braun gives the song a Guns N’ Roses sound.  This a song about a girl who uses him to help rob a bank and then doublecrosses him and takes all the money.  Even through it all, it’s not the money or the guns that he misses, but it’s Sadie.  True true love.  The following track is Castanets. The song is ok, but it has been written many different times in other ways, such as Trace Adkins’ Honky Tonk Bodankodonk, Mel McDaniel’s Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans on, and Jon Christopher Davis’ Honky Tonk Momma Blue Jean Booty Queen.  It’s not a bad song, just not real original.  Motel Cowboy Show, also from the Wicked Twisted CD, is a true story about going to see the 1980s band Motel Cowboy.  The lyrics visualize the scene for the listener, “Where there is drinking, dancing and there’s no place else to go.”  The song has a very pleasant sound to it.  It’s one of Reckless Kelly’s better works.  It’s a good honky tonk song.

I Still Do, an early Reckless Kelly release (Millican, 1998) is the first sign of a true, soft love song with lines like, “Well I guess I must have slipped and let my guard down. But you know you’re always gonna be my girl. And I get turned around and lose direction. Sometimes I forget you’re my whole world.”  This is clearly an early work for Reckless Kelly.  It’s a well-written song, but they are much more refined now.  The fiddle playing of Cody Braun and the tambourine work of David Abeyta works great in the cover of Richard Thompson’s 1952 Vincent Black Lighting.  It’s an interesting song to cover, as it’s not one of my favorites.  Honestly, I’m not sure I remember what the original sounds like, but I like the sound of what Reckless Kelly has done with it.  Seven Nights in Eire, again from the Wicked Twisted Road CD, continues with Abeyta’s tambourine work and Braun’s fiddle play, and the audience reaction shows that the song is popular.  This song has the Irish pub feel to it, and every time I’ve ever heard it, it cracks me up, because I picture a little 3 foot leprachaun dancing around the bar.  Not that it’s happened, but that’s what I envision.

Break My Heart Tonight is a brand new Reckless Kelly song, written by lead singer Willie Braun, and is the first to be released to radio.  And this song is greatness, and I would not be the least bit surprised to see this song top the Texas Music Charts soon.  With lines like “And they say misery loves company. But it damn sure ain’t looking for me. I’ll be alright. I just gotta find someone to break my heart tonight”, how could it not?  Nobody’s Girl is from the 2003 Under the Table, Above the Sun CD.  The song was written by Willie Braun with his brother Mickey, from Mickey and the Motorcars.  I love the beat of the song, and it tells a telling story about a girl who’s daddy left her as a child.  That tragedy has scarred her for life and she won’t open her heart to anybody, hence “nobody’s girl”.  Reckless Kelly mixes in Hey Say May with a cover of the legendary Freddy Fender’s humorous Guacamole.  What more can be said about this dope-smoking song?  It’s just a funny song, and the band covers it well.

Vancouver, also from the 2003 Under the Table, Above the Sun CD, is another song written by Willie Braun.  The song is full of emotion, and not the usual Reckless Kelly sound.  The song starts out with “When the sun went down, you were sitting under someone else’s sunset, and I wasn’t around. You were wishing that I was the guy that you’d just met, and I was probably stumbling down some back street alley in Amsterdam,” and pretty much grabs you from there. I get a big kick out of the lyrics to the new song Wiggles and Ritalin, which has a kicking beat to it.  And this line especially cracks me up “let’s put on some Scooby Doo and roll a couple dooby doos.”  It’s the second pot smoking song, along with Guacamole, saluting the joys of getting high.  Wild Western Windblown Band, penned by Bruce Hauser and recorded previously on Reckless Kelly’s Live at the Stubbs CD in 2000, is a popular song with the group’s fans.  I think it’s the sound more than the lyrics that make it popular.  It’s about the roadlife of a country band.  Not bad, but not great.  Baby’s Gone Blues, from the 1998 Millican release, is another example of how far Reckless Kelly has progressed musically.  This song, while decent musically, is not a well written song.  There work since the Millican release has been consistenly better.

The title track from the Wicked Twisted Road is a nice melancholy, accoustic song about the struggles of life, and making tough choices and facing the results of making bad decisions.  The line “My first love was an angry painful song.  I wanted one so bad I went and did everything wrong.  A lesson in reality would come before too long. Yeah, my first love was an angry painful song.”  Each verse of the song starts and ends with the same line.  For some reason, I like that part of it.  It’s catchy.  One of Reckless Kelly’s most popular songs is Crazy Eddie’s Last Hurrah from the 2000 The Day CD.  It’s an upbeat song about killing an ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend.  I guess it could be a little controversial, but it’s a definite party song live.  During the end of the song, Willie Braun introduces the band to good audience reaction.  Reckless Kelly closes out the live part of the CD with a cover of the Beattles Revolution.  It’s a good closer to the live show, except that it goes on forever - to the tune of almost 10 minutes!

There’s two extra studio tracks at the end of the CD - Break My Heart Tonight and Wiggles & Ritalin.  Reckless Kelly’s music has continued to get better and grown over the years.  It’s still a hard blend of roots rock and honky-tonk.  I’ve read several accounts that say they are inconsistent with their music.  But I think that as a good thing.  It shows their versatility as they are capable of pulling off both.  Listen to their live CD Reckless Kelly Was Here and you’ll know what I mean.  Their live show is even more entertaining - I recommend checking them out if you’ve never seen them.
 

Fans have been waiting for months for the release of Deryl Dodd’s Full Circle CD.  It’s now less than a month away, and I’ve had a sneak peak at this incredible piece of work.  The album opens with the upbeat shuffle Wearin’ A Hole, which has a distinctive Dwight Yoakum sound and Dodd pulls it off with style.  It’s songs like this that make people love honky tonk music and it should fill up dance floors and become a fan favorite.  Dodd sounds as good as he ever has on this one and I love the beat of this song.  It’s followed with the George Strait-like Thanks To The Man.  This isn’t what you would think when you first see the title.   I was thinking The Man.   But this is very country!  Only in country music can you sing a song thanking another man for breaking a girl’s heart.  Great stuff!   The first release from the album is I’m Not Home Right Now.  While it took me a couple of listens to warm up to it, it’s really a stong, heart wrenching song, similar to Outside Looking In from the Stronger Proof album.  “I’m here in this house, but I’m not home right now.”   Obviously a true story about a heartache in Dodd’s life, anybody who has had a broken heart and found themselves thinking about the past, can relate to this song.  This will be one of those that the women love, and the guys hate.   

Business picks up on Into Outlaw.    Dodd didn’t write this one, but asking for “a shout ya’ll” is definitely him.  And any reference to an eight track tape in a country song makes me think of my Dad listening to Willie Nelson when I was a kid.  The six degrees of separation from Willie Nelson to Deryl Dodd is good enough for me!  Plus the song has great attitude and could very well become one of  his signature songs, right alongside That’s How I Got To Memphis, Pearl Snaps, and Honky Tonk Champagne.  Hopefully it will be released to radio next.   In That’s The Stuff, Dodd teams up with longtime friend Jack Ingram, one of the hot commodities in country music right now.  The combination works brilliantly.  The two are similar enough but sound different enough to make the song work.  And it happens to be a well written song too and it’s great musically.  When I first heard Feels Like Home, I thought it was a decent song but not very good.   But after listening closely to it a couple of times, I like the song, and it’s a pleasant listen. 

I Won’t Run is my personal favorite from the CD.  It was written by Dodd’s ex-wife Jennifer Hicks and it fits his sound.  This song should become a motivational song for people who feel like giving up and quitting.  I absolutely love the song.  Solid Ground isn’t one that you go looking for, but it’s not a bad song.  I’m kind of stuck in the middle on this one.  I can’t figure out how much or how little I really like it.  The lyrics are very powerful though and illustrates how love can heal the deepest of pains.  The beat is what doesn’t pull me to it.  But each time I listen to it, I like it more.  Years ago Dodd released Only ‘Cause You’re Lonely on his self titled Deryl Dodd album.  He has re-released it on this album.  My first thought when I saw that was “why”?  It never was one of my favorite songs of his.  However, he has done something different with it.  I always liked what the song was saying, just not the sound.  Now it has both.  The redo has been done well, and Dodd even sounds a bit like Dwight Yoakum again on this one – a definite plus.   Once in awhile, Dodd drifts to the Gospel side, which can be very enjoyable.  He did this on the Pearl Snaps album with Where the River Runs, and I loved it.  Someone Is Waiting definitely is Dodd going spiritual.  I’m not sure everybody appreciates this sound of his the way I do.  This song shows Dodd’s greatness.  This song can be a great love song if you want to think of Someone as a women.  But at the same time, that Someone isn’t a woman, it’s God.   One day, I would like to hear Dodd play an entire gospel album like Alan Jackson did recently.   I heard Dodd play Songs Of The Family on a radio talk show last summer and I immediately fell in love with it.  I like the fact that family is so important to him, and the beat of the song is wonderful.  It probably won’t be a radio hit, but it’s one of my favorites on this album. 

Deryl Dodd has produced some fine work over the years, and I have maintained for awhile now that Pearl Snaps was his best album to date.  Well no longer.  Full Circle is clearly his best work.  This album takes the best of Dodd and it puts it all into one.  I’ve always been amazed at Dodd’s songwriting and his voice continues to get better with age.  It’s amazing to me that he is not a household name in the country music scene.  But perhaps this album provides the answer to that.  He sings about being into outlaw, family, God, and the stuff that he’s made of.  The stuff he’s made of is that he’s true to himself and to his roots.  And while, he may have to play the Nashville game a little bit to land a record deal (Dualtone), there’s no corporate BS in Deryl Dodd.  There are no image consultants to create a bogus public image to help sell CDs.  There’s a reason Dodd is so popular in his home state.  He’s one of us.  We can relate to him.  Thanks for the music Deryl.  Keep it coming.  Great job!    

When I sat down to listen to Wade Bowen’s Lost Hotel CD, I had only heard of one of his songs - the hit God Bless This Town.  Having listened to the entire album, I came away feeling that Bowen might have a pretty good future in the business.  His raspy voice has a charming sound and his songwriting is excellent.  Bowen wrote or co-wrote 11 of the 13 tracks on this album, which shows he can write.  He sometimes focuses too much on breakup songs.  If he can branch out a little and in some cases add some pop to his music, I think he’ll be fine.

Lost Hotel starts off with God Bless This Town.  This song went to #1 on the Texas Music Charts, and anybody who has ever lived in a small town will feel what this song is all about.  Everybody wants to get out, but then again, so many stay because they are secure there.  Bowen does a lot of writing with fellow artist Brandon Rhyder, and they co-wrote One Step Closer.  This is a song that deals with a relationship that’s falling apart.  The first line “my windshield’s cracked, just like my heart” is a catchy lyric for me, and I really enjoy this song.  Walking Along The Fenceline is another co-written by Rhyder and has a good beat to it, but doesn’t really say much.  At first I wasn’t sure what the purpose of the song is really or what the message is.  I think it’s about not rushing life and trying to make things happen and just living life as it comes.  It’s not a complete waste, but he has many better songs.

Resurrection is a song Bowen co-wrote with Bleu Edmondson.  It’s a nasty little break up song.  It’s has a nice edge to it - kind of the “up your’s, I’m over you now and I’m back to living” kind of break up song.  There’s a strong feel of revenge in the lyrics.  Interesting writing on this song too, in that the chorus is exactly three words long.  I really like this song.  Perfect Silence is a nice little love song that Bowen co-wrote with Matt Powel.  Bowen wrote this song about his wife and it could very well be a radio hit.  It has the sound that radio seems to be looking for.  “I love to dream about you and how quiet you love to be; Girl you’re perfect silence is perfect to me” is an awesome line, and the song is beautiful.  Lay It All On You, co-written by Randy Rogers, is yet another losing in love song, which is almost an overkill theme of this album.  In this one he talks about always taking the girl back and giving her one more chance, yet he’s out wanting everybody to believe it’s the last time, but the reality is that he knows it’s not.

The title track, Lost Hotel, is a song that sings about giving up and about redemption.  It has a real nice sound to it, yet paints a picture of darkness.  The lyrics to this song are so powerful “She abandonded herself into a bottle of pills; Life’s dark highway has finally run out of thrills.”  That’s the giving up part, while “So say a prayer for the weary; Say a prayer for the lost; Say a prayer for the hungry; They’ve all paid the highest cost” is the redemption side of the song.  This is one of my favorites on the album.  It’s All Over Town is, well, take a guess.  I another lost in love song.  Bowen again collaborated Rogers on this song, and it is actually a well written song.  I think I would like it more if it was earlier in the album and I hadn’t already heard the same type of song so many times already.  Handle is a song that can become a real crowd pleaser.  It has that fun barroom sound to it.  The song is for a past love telling her he doesn’t need her, she’s been replaced, and he’s doing better than she is.  I really do like this song.  The one thing that might make it even better would be a more upbeat sound, but it’s fine the way it is too.  Great lyrics in this one.

Broken Reflection is another song about redemption, salvation, and spirituality and asking for forgiveness for his past.  The song isn’t necessarily one of my favorites but it’s very powerful.  Crazy Enough is another pretty good barroom song about living on the wildside.  It’s not a heavy hitter on this album, but it’s not bad.  Lost Control of My Heart is a song about falling in love and how fresh love is in the beginning of a relationship.  I think everybody has felt this before and this song will make you think back to the beginning days of past or current relationships, and regardless of how they may have turned out, you’ll feel good about those first days.

You want creativity in a country song?  How about Mood Ring?  This song is so cleaver.  The lyrics are wonderful, but also funny.  He sings about the woman who he can never please, so he buys her a mood ring so he can get a read on her.  “If it turns black, I should turn back; If it turns red, she likes what I said; If it turns blue, I should leave her alone; If it turns green, she wants me I know.”  And that’s just the chorus.  The song won’t be a radio hit because it’s too long, and does kind of drag on after awhile, but it might be the best song on this CD.  It’s a good way to close it out.

All in all, I think Lost Hotel would be money well spent.  I love Bowen’s voice and his songwriting.  Just a little more versatility and he’ll be in business.  If you have a chance to catch Bowen live then you should do it.  Either way, you should pick up a copy of Lost Hotel.

Next week - CD review for Full Circle by Deryl Dodd.

On Sunday, June 25, I ventured west to the White Elephant Saloon in Ft Worth for the Deryl Dodd benefit show.  Ten bands for ten dollars?  How could I pass that up?  My whole day was booked for this event, and was quite surprised that there were so many people there at 2 in the afternoon.  I thought most people would show up later in the day, but there was a steady flow of people all day. 

Level Route, a nice little band from Paris, Texas opened the event in the Beer Garden, while the Travis Mitchell Band played inside the White Elephant.  Level Route fancies themselves as High Performance Outlaw Country, and they did delivered on that.  I’m not sure what their close was because I was running back and forth between to the two stages, but the last song I heard from them was a cover of Workin’ Man Blues and it was awesome!   I had heard of the Travis Mitchell Band, but had never seen them, but the UT Longhorn was quite entertaining.  Texas Girls is a pretty cool song, as is Bitter.  I think I need to see them again when I can focus on them and I’m not in and out. 

Following Level Route in the Beer Garden was Zane Lewis, and man is this guy good!  Zane is another I hadn’t see before, but knew some of his songs, including the hit This Town.  In an event that was put together for Mr Dodd, Zane carried the stage like the man himself.  I Hate To See Her Go and Beer Drinkin’ Women are crowd pleasers.  It was obvious the people there had seen him before because they ate up his show.  I wish I had seen more of it.  King Cone played the inside stage around 4:00.  I missed part of his show because I was watching Mr Lewis, and since I have seen King many times, I wasn’t in a great hurry.  But I did make it inside to hear Ask Me To Stay and Folsom Prison Blues.  An older fan jumped on stage with King and played harmonica and sounded great.  King himself enjoyed this and told the elder statesmen “I don’t know who you are, but I like it.  I wish you were my grandpa.”  It fell right in line with the feel of the day since everybody was here for a good cause. 
Back in the Beer Garden, Michael Klien took the stage.  He’s another I had seen before, but it had been awhile.  He too was very enjoyable.  I guess Stamp of Fate is his signiture song, or at least the most popular, but It Won’t Be Me is a good song too.  He also played his latest single Stayin Young, which I think could make song noise on the Texas Music Charts.  3 Ring Rodeo, led by Jon Magill, lined up next on the inside stage.  Unfortunately, I had to get something to eat around this time so I missed a lot of their show, but Don’t Send The Invitation If You Don’t Want To Party is just a kick ass song.  They also performed a cover of Mr Dodd’s That’s How I Got To Memphis, which they probably should have avoided.  But Mr Magill and Mr Dodd apparently go back a ways, and being as this was Mr Dodd’s benefit, we’ll cut them some slack. 

By the time I finished eating, Spur 503 was already started up on the Beer Garden Stage.  These guys were really enjoyable.  I honestly don’t know any of their songs, but I liked what I heard.  It makes me want to find out more about them and see them again.  The fact that they are from the Sherman/Denison area gives them a few bonus points too.  Ed Burleson, also from Denison, was scheduled to play the inside stage at 7:00 but didn’t show up.  This was very disappointing to a lot of us, but we assumed he probably got too drunk to drive over.  Since he wasn’t there, I went back outside to see more of Spur 503.  I really like their sound. 

Tommy Alverson was next on the Beer Garden stage and the Texas legend delivered.  Ray Wylie Hubbard even showed up and played a little bit with him.  Somebody mentioned that 3 Ring Rodeo was back on stage in the inside, so I hustled back over to catch some of them, but they finished up shortly after, so I didn’t see much again.  So back I went to the outside.  Mr Alverson was, well, Mr Alverson.  And the audience loved him.  When he sang Una Mas Cerveza, he got great audience response and participation.  Mr Dodd surprised all and showed up to play with Mr Alverson.  Mr Alverson joked with Mr Dodd when he was using his guitar, “be careful with my guitar.  Don’t let it get stolen or something”, which got a good laugh out of everybody.  Mr Dodd sang One Ride In Vegas and his latest single I’m Not Home Right Now. 

Jamie Richards was on the inside stage to close the show.  He too was very entertaining and played several hits including They’ve Never Been To Texas and Last Time Till The Next Time.  The event turned into a huge party when Mr Richards, Mr Dodd, and Mr Alverson all sang together on stage.  They took turns singing each others songs and looked to thoroughly enjoy themselves.

Several artists from around the state and country who didn’t play at the event donated merchandise to be raffled/auctioned off.  I can’t remember them all, but I’ll try.  Cooder Graw, Wade Bowen, Darren Kolzelsky, Martina McBride, Sonny Burgess, Micky and The Motorcars, Max Stallings, Cory Morrow, Randy Rogers Band, Jordan Micozkie, Roger Creager, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Eli Young Band, Robert Earl Keen, Radney Foster, No Justice, Andy Griggs, and Gary P Nunn.  There were probably more, but I can’t remember.  Poor David’s Pub in Dallas also donated a $100 gift certificate and Billy Bob’s donated Willie Nelson 4th of July tickets.  Items that were auctioned off were a Pearl Snap Shirt and Tony Lama Boots (after all, this was a Deryl Dodd benefit), a women’s leather jacket, some signed Cowboy Hats, Autographed Guitar by Neal McCoy, Autographed Guitar by Little Texas, and an Autographed Guitar by everybody that performed at this event.

It was a long day, but well worth it.  And it just goes to show what good people live in Texas and how tight knit the Texas Music Industry is.  For as many people to give up a free Sunday and/or merchandise to help a fellow man, shows how great Texas is and how popular Deryl Dodd is amongst his peers.  Great job by Texas Nites Entertainment, the White Elephant, and 95.9 The Ranch in putting this thing together.

In the next few weeks, I’ll be reviewing Wade Bowen’s Lost Hotel CD and Deryl Dodd’s Full Circle CD.  Check Back.  Till next time…