Album Review – Jason Boland & The Stragglers – “The Last Kings of Babylon”

Reviews 30 Comments


#550.7 (Red Dirt) and #510 (Traditional Country) on the Country DDS.

Jason Boland had his moment as the hot new name while being one of the true original breakouts of the Red Dirt scene in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He then spent a couple of decades defining the country side of Red Dirt with his band The Stragglers. Now as he stretches past a quarter century of writing and recording songs, he’s entered a reflective phase of his career as an elder statesman, even if he’s not quite yet an oldtimer.

On The Last Kings of Babylon, Jason Boland tries to summarize the last 25 or so years in music, from the personal and the professional, to the sacred and the profane. But as opposed to sounding like an album that travels through eras, Babylon in many ways sounds just like where Boland started, in part because he reunited with his original producer, the legendary Lloyd Maines to bring this album to life.

“Red Dirt” is about as nebulous and hard to define as “Americana.” But for Boland, it’s always meant traditional country music unwilling to kowtow to Nashville, with a song or two with a rock n’ roll kick. That’s The Last Kings of Babylon. It’s the lyrical component that captures a man that has seen many miles through the lens of a musician, and now can reflect it back upon them with wisdom.

The opening song “Next To Last Hank Williams” is a commentary on the world of an aging musician, however thinly veiled it is in a character study. “Irish Goodbye” is the pondering of a sudden and unannounced retirement and disappearing act, which Boland might dream of, but has yet to enact. “Truest Colors” could be about seeing the real side of some of his fellow artists as they let their mask slip in backstage moments.


Boland’s love life is intertwined with these moments too, with the song “Take Me Back To Austin” feeling like something from his personal experience. But Boland also borrows the song “Drive” co-written by Jason Eady, Jamie Lin Wilson and Kelley Mickwee, and first recorded by The Trishas. The album concludes with “Buffalo Return” by Red Dirt godfather Jimmy LaFave. Boland’s always good for a rock heater, and it comes in the form of the angry “Ain’t No Justice” penned by another Red Dirt legend, Randy Crouch.

Jason Boland and his career might be matured, but it’s not tired. There is a vigor and energy throughout this album, sometimes driven by a spirited mandolin, or via the lead guitar. You get the sense when listening to a Jason Boland record that he’s a philosopher stuck in a redneck band, or at the least a stoner prone to falling down rabbit holes of thought. As he’s standing up there singing “Pearl Snaps” for the eleven millionth time, his mind is exploring the universe beyond country and Western music.

After all, the last album from Jason Boland and The Stragglers was a concept album centered around an alien abduction. With The Last Kings of Babylon, he keeps it comparatively conventional, but with the thought-provoking wrinkles you’ve come to expect. The best way to describe Babylon is to say it’s a Jason Boland album, which in the world of Red Dirt, is synonymous with a strong compliment.

1 3/4 Guns Up (8/10)

– – – – – – – – – –

Purchase/stream The Last Kings of Babylon

© 2025 Saving Country Music

, , , , , , ,