Album Review – Turnpike Troubadours (Self-Titled)

Some will tell you country music must evolve, must adapt to survive and stay relevant in the current cultural climate. Left and right we see country acts we once thought to be insulated from the winds of change, if not shelters against them, rushing to incorporate electronic drums, synthesizers, other inorganic accouterments, or shopping list dirges of tailgate scenes into their music after being counseled on how this is what you need to keep the music scintillating to the modern ear. Even some of the primary names in the Texas and Red Dirt scenes have backslid into this predictable role.
And then here’s the Turnpike Troubadours, years junior to many of the other big names from the Oklahoma music circuit, starting off their new, self-titled album—the first in over three years—with a five-minute waltz built upon the rake of the fiddle.
The beauty of country music has always been its ability to remain a steadfast compass point in an tempestuous world. No matter what else is going on, you can count on country being there. It’s a rock. This is where country’s beauty and sway over the human spirit emanates from. And yet this is what’s lost on the many who seem to think country’s future is in shying away from this indomitable aspect of the music.
However, you go to a Turnpike Troubadours show, and it’s a different story. It’s not filled with 40 and 50-something divorcee boot scooters. It’s not about country punks or leather-clad Outlaws. You’ll see all those elements intermixed in the crowd for sure, standing on the periphery, shuffling around in the crowded room. But mostly this is a younger crowd. Many of the boys are clean cut, and the girls are pretty. There may be some country fried frat boys, but these aren’t bros. The Turnpike Troubadours are hip, and country.
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There’s not much to complain about with the Turnpike Troubadours, but one concern is the amount of recorded output during their eight-year stretch. Their 2012 record Goodbye Normal Street had the independent and Texas country world agog, and it felt like if they only had the alacrity to turn around a year or so later and release another, similar to how Sturgill Simpson sling shot himself to the top, the Turnpike Troubadours could be on top of the world.
As it is, the momentum ebbed some time a while back, and the songs became a little tired. But frontman and primary songwriter Evan Felker is not going to force the issue, and he’s certainly not going to make a living primarily singing the songs of others. If it takes three years to cut a record, it takes three years to cut a record. If they even have to take two old songs to fill out a 12-song track list, which they do by re-recording “Bossier City” and “Easton & Main” from the band’s first record, then so be it. You don’t get lines like “You bet your heart on a diamond and I played the clubs in spades” without letting the inspiration behind a song come to you, instead of forcing it out based on an arbitrary timeline. These guys have already overshot any expectations allotted to them when they started out, so why try shoot for the moon now, and risk losing the mojo?
That’s the thing about the Turnpike Troubadours: they’ve exuded a patience and steadiness that has put them steadfastly in touch with the underlying spirit of country music. If they wanted to pivot just slightly and go some big rock route, they could blow up huge. But they didn’t and they don’t . . . and they still blew up huge. This isn’t old country. This is new country, only the roots are still attached, and the branches fan out wide.
You can look at The Turnpike Troubadours as an ass kicking live band, or you can look at them as a band behind a singer songwriter that happens to have some ass kicking songs. Their melodies could rise a little bit more. They could shorten some of their songs, or contemporize the instrumentation. This is surely what they would hear if they sailed their ship for Nashville looking for a larger slice. But they refuse to tinker with what has led them here. You get the sense they would rather quit than let down their long-term fans, or themselves. It’s still the same guys, and mostly the same sound. They remain the Turnpike Troubadours. And their destiny and prospects are better off for it.
The success of the Troubadours has taken them all around North America, but their music still remains firmly grounded in the dirt of Oklahoma, maybe more so than ever in their new, self-titled album. Their home is where the inspiration for their songs springs from, where Tulsa feels like the big city, full of all the trappings and broken promises of the modern world, and Bossier might as well be a universe away. And yet the perspective is worldly, the sentiments universal, and the message intelligent and enriching.
The Turnpike Troubadours know what they do very well. They take Felker’s songs, they watch what the crowd reacts to and they emphasize that. Their melodies are in no way obvious, but they grow on you. You can regard them as a fun band to go watch on a Saturday night, or the home of one of this generation’s leading songwriters. Or if you’re wise, you do both.
Their new, self-titled album may not have the big, signature songs of their previous efforts like “7 & 7,” “Every Girl,” or “Long Hot Summer Day.” But it’s probably their most consistent with quality cover to cover. Guitarist Ryan Engleman‘s growth is greatly noticed, as his confidence with the steel guitar adds a new wrinkle to the band’s sound, while his lead licks on the Telecaster growl more than ever, yet remain within the realm of the Troubadours’ sound.
From the gentle moments of the acoustic “A Little Song,” to the odes to wild women like “The Mercury,” to the stories of “The Bird Hunters” and “7 Oaks,” the Turnpike Troubadours paint the picture of a simple man trying to grasp the complexities and people of a world lost in the allure of its own reflection, while he does his best to remain grounded in the values of himself and his home. Not a bad parallel for the plights and perils of country music.
In today’s country, Alabama may run off an record Bro-Country song, Zac Brown may decide he wants to be an EDM star, Sturgill Simpson may include synthesizers in his next album. But the Turnpike Troubadours remain steadfast, and a reason to celebrate the present, hope for the future, and hold fond memories for the past.
Two Guns Up (9/10).
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Bassist R.C. Edwards wrote the songs “Fall Out of Love,” “Easton and Main,” and “7 Oaks.”
“Doreen” is a cover from The Old 97’s.
All other tracks were written or co-written by Evan Felker.
September 19, 2015 @ 10:56 am
Just this morning I was wondering when you would review this. I’ll be ordering it for sure. Thanks!
September 19, 2015 @ 10:56 am
I’ve listened to the new album 9 times since yesterday, and Diamonds&Gasoline , Goodbye Normal Street 5 times each just today and yesterday. Fall Out Of Love is currently my favourite off the new album, but I love every song.
I can’t find the songwriters credits anywhere , so can anyone tell me if ‘Doreen'(Old 97s song) is the only cover?
9/10 is about right , unreal album.. probably the best of 2015!
September 19, 2015 @ 11:18 am
I read that the ’97’s Rhett Miller also co-wrote “A Little Song.” In any case, out of the box this sounds like some of the best stuff ever.
September 19, 2015 @ 11:23 am
I asked the guys about “Fall Out Of Love” because it sounded like a John Fullbright style tune to me. Fullbright actually replied that it was a Rooster C Edwards original.
September 19, 2015 @ 2:13 pm
I meant to write that the above conversation happened on Twitter. Not like I know the dudes or anything.
September 19, 2015 @ 2:38 pm
Hell, when he starts singing, I thought for sure it was John Fullbright…
September 19, 2015 @ 3:03 pm
Yep same here…first few words for sure.
September 19, 2015 @ 11:45 am
Three years ago when the Turnpike Troubadours released “Goodbye Normal Street” I received a copy signed by all the band weeks before its release for review purposes without asking. This time, I didn’t even receive a response to my requests for liner notes sent to their publicist. I’m taking it as a sign of just how far Saving Country Music has slid in importance since 2012. Apparently Vice is a much more appropriate outlet for a band like the Turnpike Troubadours than Saving Country Music. That was a tough realization to come to. It’s funny because information and access is never an issue when I’m attempting to cover music from the mainstream. Yesterday I was offered VIP access to The Judds’ residency in Las Vegas, even though I didn’t ask for it, and would never utilize it. Yet I can’t secure a general admission ticket I’m willing to pay for to Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic happening two miles from my house after they fucked me out of a press pass (while Vice runs around the grounds snapping photos of rednecks to make fun of), or a simple email with the liner notes for the new Turnpike Troubadours album. Maybe I should intern at Vice so I can finally cover Texas music like I want to, and like these artists deserve.
I wrote this review to the best of my ability with the resources and information at my dispose. I hope to find a copy for purchase next time I’m in town so I can finally see the liner notes myself, but I wanted to get this review out while it was still topical and for the readers who have been waiting for it. I hope someday to earn the respect of the Texas and Red Dirt scenes to at least get my emails answered.
September 19, 2015 @ 12:49 pm
I visit this site at least a few times a week and look at Vice, well, pretty much never. No one’s reviews send me to Amazon as often as yours do, so you do have at least a few supporters out there. Once upon a time I wrote a little for an alternative news weekly. I can relate to your frustration with some artist’s PR operation.
September 19, 2015 @ 2:37 pm
I can understand your frustration, though I will say your reviews (the positive ones) still get me to check out bands I may have never heard of.
On the other hand I am glad to see a major media outlet like Vice putting a spotlight on bands like Turnpike and Whitey Morgan since they are examples of the good that still exists in the genre. It’s a double edged sword I guess, because I often mind most of the stuff on Vice to be written for man-bun wearing hipsters.
September 19, 2015 @ 3:19 pm
I think it’s great that bands like the Turnpike Troubadours and Whitey Morgan are being featured in Vice, and I’m all for it. I’m for these artists being featured in as many outlets as possible. But the simple fact is, most readers of Vice are not going to be receptive to some of these artists. It doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be featured there. It just means that maybe you want to communicate with the folks who have a direct line to the fans who are more likely to buy the records.
Texas music is dramatically, dramatically undeserved by print media. Go to the Turnpike Troubadours Wikipedia page. It’s a stub. This group is massive, and super important to the music in the Texoma region, and they don’t even have a proper Wiki page. I have been trying for years to cover Texas music, specifically because it is so underserved. But I regularly get ignored. That’s why you can’t find much coverage. And it’s not fair to these artists.
Frankly, this was not the place to broach this subject. A nerve got touched and I twisted off. But it is a problem.
September 19, 2015 @ 7:05 pm
If it makes you feel any better, I’ve never even heard of Vice, but I am on YOUR site multiple times a day and have referred others to it.
September 20, 2015 @ 11:31 am
I read Vice and SCM regularly. But I’m a music nerd & probably read way more than the average country fan. I’m also a freelance writer and find that certain PR, promoters and venues have become much less responsive over the past year or so. Back in 2012, I was covering live shows an average of 5 days a week, with the occasional multi-concert coverage on a single day. I had stacks of CDs piling up in my mailbox and was writing constantly. Now it’s like pulling teeth to get anything more than a digital stream, forget about liner notes and I get a press pass for a show every couple of months. Times are changing and it’s frustrating.
September 20, 2015 @ 11:41 am
I’ve always found it ironic that the same bands that speak out about artists getting paid for their music go out of their way to avoid any costs related to those who write about them. An album stream with a closing date is a slap in the face as a writer. You don’t even think that the time it takes for me to seriously listen to your album multiple times, contemplate it and then provide an honest review is worth a single dollar? It’s difficult to retain professional judgement in those cases. I’ve noticed that when I compile year end lists the past couple of years, the albums that make it are ones that I have sought out and bought on my own (which means high shipping costs to Canada in many cases) or been sent a physical review copy. Streams never make it because I spend so much time on the road and I prefer the physical packaging as part of the review. I know it’s a personal preference and some 18-year-old kid might dismiss me as an old guy (even though I’m also a Millenial…), but I share some of your gripes Trigger. There are certain labels that are fantastic, some artists that allow you to avoid their stuffy management red tape and lots of interesting indie bands that are more than happy to work with you as a writer, but there are some bizarre business practices going on these days that seem downright lazy and cheap. If a band doesn’t care enough to send me a physical copy, give you liner notes, answer an email or grace a writer with a press pass to give them coverage, I feel that says a lot about how much they care about their music. Sorry for the rant, you just touched a nerve… & I know that I went a bit off on a tangent.
September 19, 2015 @ 2:42 pm
And since my comment has now been screenshot and dispersed on Twitter AND Facebook as if it was some autonomous missive from me being pissed off that I don’t receive free music as opposed to a response to someone’s comment, let me re-iterate that my frustration here is that I did not have access to the liner notes when writing this review, so I could not give proper credit to the other songwriters on this album not named Evan Felker.
The commenter Brandon said, “I can”™t find the songwriters credits anywhere.” This was my response. It is not part of the review. It has nothing to do with the review except to explain how I had put forth effort to obtain the liner notes for this album, and that effort was not rewarded.
I want to give songwriters credit, and I tried. That’s all that I can do.
September 19, 2015 @ 3:17 pm
Saw your Twitter feed. I thought the New Slang tweet was malicious. Hope he’s proud of himself.
September 19, 2015 @ 3:43 pm
New Slang does good work. I just didn’t like the way my comment was taken completely out of context. It’s one of the few outlets that covers Texas music, principally because there is this strange culture in Texas music that sees media as unnecessary and expendable. I’ve experienced it for years, and it’s so bad it’s almost unbelievable. And nobody wants to bring it up, because then you’ll be accused of being self-centered and selfish, like I am being. But it’s a very important subject that is directly affecting the music. This probably wasn’t the right context, and I’ll try to handle the subject in a more appropriate manner moving forward.
September 19, 2015 @ 3:48 pm
Guess I’ll take your word for it as far as New Slang doing good work. I thought it was a dick move.
September 19, 2015 @ 4:30 pm
I’m sure it is extremely frustrating as a responsible journalist to have your comments taken out of context. However, as a fan and regular to your site, I could care less what other media outlets think about this site. I don’t visit or use other sites to learn about good bands/artists and other country music. As others have stated above, this site is my main source for learning about and buying music, and I am very grateful for that. I am so glad I never have to open up a Rolling Stone again! Thanks for doing what you do, and speaking for those of us who feel the same way. “It’s all right now…you can’t please everyone, so you got to please yourself (and your real fans).” I hope you keep on truckin brother!
September 19, 2015 @ 7:13 pm
Maybe they have a new publicist? An incompetent one perhaps? Or maybe they NEED a new one?
Seriously though, thanks for the review–I’ve been waiting to hear what you had to say about this album because I knew you would “get it,” and be honest. I’ve had mine for over a week and couldn’t count how many times I’ve listened to it. It was #1 on iTunes yesterday and today, and tonight they are playing a (nearly) sold out show at the ACL Moody Theater in Austin! If I wasn’t going to be seeing them on their home turf next week at Medicine Stone I would be there tonight! Ever since I first saw them in concert over four years ago, they have been my favorite band and I am thrilled at their success–this album was worth the wait.
September 20, 2015 @ 9:10 pm
That’s rough, man.
Although, I would say that it might be more a function of the fact that they’ve gotten a lot bigger over the last three years, than a decline in SCM’s importance.
Your site was, and is, one of the best places out there to generate buzz for country artists, but they don’t need help anymore.
It’s not that SCM is less important as such, but rather that SCM is less important to established artists, like the 2015 TT, than ones still working the underground scene, like the 2012 TT.
September 20, 2015 @ 9:18 pm
SCM is still far and away more important than Vice when it comes to reaching the underground country audience, though. I just checked the article on Vice that covered the 4th of July picnic, and it has only 2 comments despite a ton of edgy analysis and interesting photos. Such an article would receive way more comments on SCM, for sure.
September 20, 2015 @ 10:25 pm
I appreciate all of the positive comments folks, but WAY too much has been made of this, and I wasn’t fishing for comments, nor feel comfortable receiving them. The focus here should be on the music of the Turnpike Troubadours, not on Vice, or Saving Country Music. Let’s please be done with this. I’d love to hear more of people’s thoughts on this record instead of this issue/non-issue.
September 19, 2015 @ 3:50 pm
Thanks man. I wrote Fall Out of Love, Easton and Main, and 7 Oaks.
Ev write/cowrote the rest
Doreen is the only “cover”
RC
September 19, 2015 @ 4:08 pm
Thanks for the info RC. I’ll make sure to add it up top.
September 19, 2015 @ 5:38 pm
Just found the songwriting credits on a different site ( http://new-country-songs.com/turnpike-troubadours/ )
Rc, you should be proud of the band,man! Hopefully you guys can come to east coast Canada in the future , or I’ll come to the states to see you guys
September 20, 2015 @ 9:22 am
Nice! I specifically quoted a line from “Fall out of Love” in my review of this and didn’t know who to credit–thanks for this and I will update it. You can find my review at http//countryexclusive.com if you’d like to read it.
September 19, 2015 @ 11:01 am
All I can add to this is nothing more than a damn fine bunch of tunes right here. Been jamming it pretty hard since I could buy it Thursday night about 10 pm. They always impress me. Hope to catch them live for the first time next month in Birmingham.
September 19, 2015 @ 11:05 am
I’ve been a big fan of these guys for years. Saw them about a month ago here in Nebraska. Sold out. Great live show. Great crowd. Full of college kids. I’ll definitely be getting the album.
September 19, 2015 @ 11:11 am
Count me in as one who’s been waiting on this review. Got my pre-order earlier this week and it’s ripped to the iTunes and syncing to the iPod as we speak. I’d have been cool with ten songs, but I’m still interested to see what the updated versions of “Bossier City” and “Easton and Main” sound like compared to the originals.
September 19, 2015 @ 11:13 am
The rerelease of “Easton and Main” was a pleasant surprise. They took the strongest cut of their debut album, and made it so much better. The pedal steel and fiddle backing on this entire album is excellent. I know that bands should always try to grow and develop their sound, but I wouldn’t mind if the Turnpike Troubadours stuck with this formula on future albums. What a great effort by these guys. Trigger, you nailed it describing the demographic of their fans. I attended their album release show in Dallas last week. The crowd was full of young, country music loving enthusiasts.
September 19, 2015 @ 11:16 am
Oh man, I’m so excited that they covered my favorite song by the Old 97s.
September 19, 2015 @ 12:50 pm
I visit this site at least a few times a week and look at Vice, well, pretty much never. No one’s reviews send me to Amazon as often as yours do, so you do have at least a few supporters out there. Once upon a time I wrote a little for an alternative news weekly. I can relate to your frustration with some artist’s PR operation.
September 19, 2015 @ 2:25 pm
“The Bird Hunters,” “Down Here,” and “Long Drive Home” I would have to say are my favorites. Great album though. Expected nothing less from them.
September 19, 2015 @ 2:27 pm
Great review trigger,very well written.It would be hard to read this and not want to check them out.I have and album on order.Thanks.
September 19, 2015 @ 2:33 pm
Amazing album, “Long Drive Home” is an instant classic in my eyes.
This band is amazing. The state of Country music may be depressing as shit on the mainstream side, but bands/artists like these guys are reason to still be proud what the genre can produce.
September 19, 2015 @ 2:40 pm
Great review Trigger. This album is outstanding. I’ll have to listen to it a few more times before I can say for sure, but I think Diamonds and Gasoline is still my favorite. It could just be because that was the first album I heard of theirs. There’s not one song on this new album that I don’t like, but my favorites would be Down Here, The Mercury, Ringing In the Year, Long Drive Home, and A Little Song. My very favorite though might be the re-recording of Easton & Main. I heard that one live a couple years ago and the arrangement was much like on the new album, but when I listened to the version on their first album I was pretty disappointed. The original wasn’t bad but there was no fiddle or steel and the production seemed pretty weak. I also like the new Bossier City a lot.
September 19, 2015 @ 2:59 pm
I don’t fault these guys for re-recording the songs from the first album one bit. I thought it was a good idea and they turned out great. I can understand if some folks are used to the older versions, but this album is going to be in front of so many more folks and these songs deserve to be heard. “Easton & Main” might be the best song on the album.
September 19, 2015 @ 3:12 pm
Case in point, I don’t have the first album, so I’m definitely looking forward to hearing these old songs on the new album. Sort of like how Jim Lauderdale included King of Broken Hearts on his last album (new double album coming from Jim next Friday!). I’d heard of the song, but didn’t have a copy.
September 19, 2015 @ 4:01 pm
Great music and melodies, but the voice sounds a bit on the weak side. If I were the producer, I would tone down the electric guitar to make the vocals sound more prominent.
September 19, 2015 @ 6:25 pm
Where can I get this cd? Is it in any special stores
September 19, 2015 @ 7:09 pm
They kick ass live, they write great songs, they have melodies that stickin in your head for days. When I’m given the opportunity to tell someone about great county they aren’t hearing on the radio, these are my go to guys
September 19, 2015 @ 7:32 pm
I only discovered SCM last December and Turnpike shortly thereafter. They have since become my favorite band. I remember hearing Gin, Smoke,Lies for the first time and thinking “oh yeah, now this is what I’ve been looking for!” Saw them in Salt Lake City a couple months ago and they were awesome. They just have that “it” factor I can’t explain.
September 20, 2015 @ 6:26 am
I’m glad you gave this band a good honest review.
I’m a Tennessee native but I’ve lived in Texas now 20 years. I absolutely love red dirt. I’m glad that it hasn’t gone the awful way of Nash country.
September 20, 2015 @ 10:06 am
Great review! I love this album!
September 20, 2015 @ 11:44 am
Corb Lund turned me on to Turnpike Troubadours years ago and I’m so happy that he did.
September 20, 2015 @ 2:04 pm
Stuff is pretty good. I’m not really feeling the vocals from these guys but that’s just my opinion.
Album production could be a little better.
September 20, 2015 @ 7:47 pm
I’m a gigantic turnpike troubadours fan, and absolutely love the new album, but it really does sound like whoever mastered it was like “Oh yeah, I got this new compressor – I should squash the hell out of the whole thing.” Thought maybe it was my (not very great) car stereo at first, then threw it on some monitors and frowned a little bit.
September 21, 2015 @ 6:08 am
Album of the year for me so far. Just saw these guys on Saturday night at ACL Moody Theatre in downtown Austin. They blew the roof off the place. Felker and Co. are top notch musicians with top notch songs. I have zero complaints about this album, and I happen to love the production on it. “The Bird Hunters” is my Song of the Year so far. Cinematic and epic in scope.
September 21, 2015 @ 6:52 am
Good to see country music e-volving instead of de-volving.
What’s this Vice of which I am hearing? I always just thought it was something Gary LeVox put his nuts in to make him sing so high.
September 21, 2015 @ 6:56 am
I think I was looking forward to this album even a bit more than Isbell’s – especially when Bird Hunters was released early. I think I listened to that song alone 100 times – and the entire album’s been playing almost non-stop since Friday. These guys are such great instrumentalists and have so much energy. Looking forward to their being in the DC area. Thanks Trig for such a good write-up – the live shows are definitely part of the band’s appeal.
September 21, 2015 @ 7:48 am
Agree completely with the review. Damn good record from one of the best live bands on the planet. Love these guys.
And for the record, this is the one single website where a great review will guaranty that I will track down that music. The only one.
September 21, 2015 @ 10:03 am
Trigger – you managed to perfectly articulate why I like “good” country music…said perfectly!
“The beauty of country music has always been its ability to remain a steadfast compass point in an tempestuous world. No matter what else is going on, you can count on country being there. It”™s a rock. This is where country”™s beauty and sway over the human spirit emanates from. And yet this is what”™s lost on the many who seem to think country”™s future is in shying away from this indomitable aspect of the music.”
I really like the these guys and loved the last 2 records. Something is missing on this one for me so far though. There seemed to be better hooks and a bit more of their own thing mixed with the traditional on their last 2 albums. Parts of this record seem slightly generic to me, where as in the past I never got that feeling listening to them. I also think Evan has such a great voice and lyrics, but it’s mixed too low on a lot of these. Still a good record but it didn’t quite hit the bar the set in the past IMHO. Still wish them the best and a fan.
September 21, 2015 @ 2:22 pm
time to bring back The Triggerman..
September 22, 2015 @ 7:51 am
WORTH THE WAIT. The whole thing is good, and I”™m sure my favorites will change, but right now the one-two-three punch of “Easton & Main,” “7 Oaks,” and “Doreen” towards the end is worth the price of admission alone. I also really dig “The Mercury,” with its mentions of the characters from previous albums.
And Trig, you’re probably right about “Easton & Main.” I’m not usually a fan of artists re-recording their older stuff, but that one turned out really, really well.
September 22, 2015 @ 12:16 pm
The first time I drove to see these guys, there was maybe 20 people there. Diamonds & Gasoline had just been released and I told all my friends these guys were building momentum and would be a force in the red dirt/Texas scene. Since then its been amazing to see shows go from a few people to being sold out and seeing TT shirts at every country show I’ve been to in the last couple years. At the point Trigger reviewed D&G I didnt agree their best was still to come but the two albums since have been just that.
This album IMO does a good job of continuing the storytelling in the same rough around the edges, honest, biopic nature Bossier City did while sounding more polished and having a deeper feel. Being from that same part of the country, there’s a familiar feeling in “The Bird Hunters” “Down Here” and “A Little Song” . The album flows well and is a welcome evolution in their sound. I’ve drank a lot of beer and whiskey with these guys and hope to continue the trend next time I can catch a show.
September 22, 2015 @ 5:45 pm
Doesn’t get better than “the bird hunters” in my opinion. It’s got it all, 3/4 time, a rolling fiddle melody, and booming guitars, one could almost mistake it for a dropkick murphys tune in the first few measures. “That’s what we came here to do” is one of my favorite lines, that’s how people talk
September 23, 2015 @ 11:34 am
Just figured out that the album was recorded in my neck of the woods – Sonoma County, Calif. (recorded at Prairie Sun in Cotati). It would sure be great to get the boys back up here to actually play a show.
October 20, 2015 @ 5:15 am
Just got a chance to listen to it. I’m fairly disappointed. The album is ok, but not great. Three years between albums and then an album with two old songs and a cover. I think they’ve run out of things to say. It is far better than any shitty mainstream country, but not as good as the last two. Like most new music, too many love songs. Tell me something interesting. I don’t want to hear another love song.