what to say . at times like these you hope for a midnight train to take you away from pain you don’t want to RECORD feel . all I can give is love.” Albert wrote or co-wrote seven of the 11 songs and covered Jackson REVIEWS Browne’s “For a Dancer,” Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me in Your Heart,” you . ache will set in slowly like this project ——“Tonight I’m Play- and Tom Peterson’s “Dakota water cracks a stone . come sum- ing Possum,” a song written just after David Frizzell & Friends Lullaby.” She produced Everything’s mer, pain will blossom like a rose … George Jones’ death. Earlier press Buddy Holly Country Beautiful Now with her husband, Chris our long-lost child haunts the au- releases issued when Travis was hos- Tribute Gage, who also added piano, organ, tumn moonlight . you will reach pitalized with heart problems stated acoustic and electric guitars, accor- Buddy Holly Educational and not find me.” that George Jones’ widow, Nancy dion, harmonies, and more. Lloyd Foundation The fifth-generation Texan’s Jones, visited Travis in the hospital. second’“solo” album — he’s got two Maines played Dobro, Kym Warner Great songs, originally recorded by The two musicians were more like more with his brother Hollin and mandolin, Kim Deschamps pedal the great rock-n-roll artist Buddy family than friends. one with Leigh — adds guitar and steel, Glenn Fukunaga and David Holly, and now recorded and re- And the fiddle that opens the bass to his vocals; Leigh plays lead Carroll bass, Paul Pearcy drums, leased by great country artists — Bobby Vinton classic, “There I’ve Said and rhythm guitars and mandolin Kira Small harmony vocals, and her what’s not to love about this com- It Again,” is priceless, bringing the plus harmony vocals; Rebecca Patek son Troupe Gammage duets with her missioned Buddy Holly Country Trib- listener directly into the song. adds fiddle, violin, viola, and har- on Shake Russell and Dana Cooper’s ute CD. Who are those great artists And so it goes. All said, as if mony vocals; Ricky Davis and Ethan “Lean My Way.” who worked on this project? David “There, I’ve Said It Again.” But it Shaw Jonathan —TOM GEDDIE Frizzell, Merle Haggard, Jimmy For- add pedal steel; bears repeating — country music Milton Ray tune, Helen Cornelius, Sonny Curtis, adds pennywhistle, and superstar Randy Travis is one born- Bonneville adds harmonica. and T Graham Brown. It’s billed as a again Texan still producing true Micky & the Motorcars —TOM GEDDIE country album, but there’s a lot of country music and proving that Nash- Hearts From Above rockabilly and blues thrown into the ville still knows how to produce true Self-released mix, as well. Randy Travis country music. The CD starts with Haggard’s Luxurious classic country, Influ- HEARTS FROM ABOVE, NEW FROM Influences Vol. 2: The ences Vol. 2: The Man I Am” is avail- Micky & the Motorcars, is a rocking version of “Remember Me,” and ends Man I Am with the same song, but the second able in stores and on Internet pur- Americana album about longing of time sung by Frizzell, Cornelius, and Warner Music chase sites, including ITunes. A must one sort or another. It’s musically for the country music lover in all of full; the sound, which has a certain and the poor rich kid from the board- shadows of the blood moon in the Fortune. Different versions, same LESS THAN A YEAR SINCE Randy us. sameness to it, nevertheless never ing school, neither of whom seemed sky, moving at a pace we couldn’t song, and proof that a good singer Travis’ CD Influences Vol. 1 was re- — MARY JANE FARMER, quite overflows into excess. to have any chance at all; they fall in hold; is this a civil war song, too? can cover a song in his own voice and leased, they’ve gone and done it again. Founding members Micky love and, well, you know the rest of “Tonight We Ride” is described style and yet keep it true to the Infuences Vol. 2: The Man I Am is now (pleasingly raw lead vocals, guitar) the story. as”“an anthem for soldiers and cow- original. available and every bit as strong, in Christine Albert and Gary Braun (guitar, mandolin, The one cover is “Sister Lost Soul,” boys and cowgirls and bikers . Frizzell introduces each song, every sense, as the first volume. Everything’s harmonica, and vocals) are joined by written by influential Alejandro anybody that sticks together as a giving the date and place where The 7-time Grammy award-win- Beautiful Now newcomers Escovedo. team:” tomorrow we fight for the Buddy Holly originally recorded it. ner released this, his 22nd album, MoonHouse Records Dustin Schaefer (lead guitar), The first of two “outlier” songs, ones we left behind.” Haggard does a great job on “That’ll just recently, packed with tribute Joe Fladger (bass), and Bobby Paugh both at the end of the album, begin For anyone who doesn’t know it, Be The Day;” Brown puts his soul songs to those who, Travis said in his Christine Albert ONCE AGAIN (drums) on the band’s seventh al- with the excellent “From Where the these two Brauns are the brothers of stamp on “Maybe Baby” and on the liner notes, “…I am reminded that it shares her fine, sometimes aching bum. Sun Now Stands,” which is a tribute two other Brauns — the ones from Ray Charles classic “Drown In My is true that we learn from the ones voice on Everything’s Beautiful Now, The songs tend to be about pick- to Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce Reckless Kelly — and all four of Own Tears;” Fortune and Cornelius ahead of us and teach the ones that and a mostly hopeful country, folk, ing up the pieces, being hurt, true Indians of the Pacific Northwest: them sing on the opening, title song; put a smooth croon on “True Love follow.” pop kinda hybrid album that’s al- love and cheating, and the woman “peace turns to anger, my heart is it’s something Gary said “hasn’t hap- Ways;” and Frizzell and Fortune even This 13-song project features ways pretty and is well played and who wants to fall apart just so she can sick and sad, this ragtag band long pened in the studio since we were recorded “Walk Right Back,” written Travis’ rendition of songs made popu- well produced. Many of the 11 songs feel something. Then there’s the poor gone by tomorrow far away where teenagers.” by Sonny Curtis, in memory of Buddy lar by Merle Haggard, Hank Snow, grew out of the deaths of more than little poor girl from the trailer park the sun now stands, hiding in the —TOM GEDDIE Holly’s friend, Phil Everly. Bobby Vinton, and a great version of a dozen close friends and family In all, there’s 20 songs included the late Waylon Jennings’ “Only members including her mother-in- in this project, 21 if you count both Daddy That’ll Walk The Line,” com- law who told her, in her final hours, versions of “Remember Me,” and it plete with that walking riff that “Everything’s beautiful now.” comes with a DVD, with all six su- songwriter Jimmy Bryant wrote into The title song: “Now, I can’t grieve perstars talking about their involve- the beat. And his version of the clas- anymore, I’ve seen so many sail away AMERICANA By Tom ment in Buddy Holly’s life and mu- sic Ray Price “For The Good Times” from my shore never to come through sic, and in the CD project. It also is unparalleled as a cover song. one the door again, I have my regrets, I’m Geddie features clips from the recording, that the late Mr. Price himself would TEXAS ready now to lay them to rest . I studios and photos taken over Buddy have been proud to hear. There’s don’t know why or how but IT’S A GOOD-NATURED CHEAP wounded from war and the woman Dove,” “The Last Picture Show,” and Holly’s too-short career. more classic artists also honored here. everything’s beautiful now.” Ishot, I suppose, but I can’t help he loves stays to watch him waste other fine books that turned into fine This keepsake CD, Frizzell & And when Travis sings Kris “For a Dancer:” “keep the fire thinking about the assortment of, away. movies. Friends, Buddy Holly Country Tribute, Kristofferson’s “Sunday Morning burning in your eyes, pay attention uh, interesting relatives coming to On “Down to the Wire,” a man Author of such lines as: is available Online through the Buddy Coming Down,” it sounds from the to the open sky; . dancing our song the reunion in James McMurtry’s claims, “we fight for what we want, “But just let me tell you some- Holly Educational Foundation heart, and his version of the Jimmie away . in the end there’s one dance “Choctaw Bingo.” You know the song, not for what is right,” telling a woman thing, son, a woman’s love is like the tbhef.org Rodgers classic “California Blues” is you’ll do alone.” the one that begins “Strap them kids “the night I gave you that bruise, we morning dew, it’s just as apt to settle — MARY JANE FARMER flawless. “At Times like These:” “when in give ’em a little bit of vodka / In a made love and you asked me to hurt on a horse turd as it is on a rose.