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Jason Boland and the Stragglers Truckstop Diaries |
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Track List
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(Tenkiller Records) Stillwater, Oklahoma
based Jason Boland and the Stragglers, put out some of the finest music
in the Texas tradition, on "Truckstop Diaries", the follow up to their
stellar debut, "Pearl Snaps." Jason continues to show he possesses a
voice and songwriting skills that are far beyond his years (he wrote or
co-wrote 8 of the 11 tracks). The Stragglers, Roger Ray (lead, rhythm
and baritone guitars, pedal steel & dobro), Dana Hazzard (fiddle), Grant
Tracy (bass, banjo) and Brad Rice (drums, percussion & harmony vocals)
are one mighty hot, tight little band.
The CD opens with the title song, "Truckstop
Diaries", an amusing observation of the cast of characters he encounters
at a truckstop after his car breaks down, and asks the question, "who
needs TV when you've got a truckstop?"
How about a country album that has a song
about prison? Jason, along with co-writer Stoney LaRue come up with a
beauty in "Shot Full Of Holes", about a car thief doing 2 to 4, hoping
to get out before his baby daughter's old enough to realize where he is.
He finally gets his freedom, only to fall back into his old ways.
In Bob Childers' "Tennesee Whiskey", Jason
sings whiskey just doesn't give him the thrill he needs, only the sweet
love of his woman can do that. Randy Crouch's "Mexican Holiday", on
which Randy duets with Jason, is a Tex-Mex tune singing the virtues of
taking a Mexican Holiday to leave all your troubles behind. The honky
tonker "Much Better Now", co-written with Cody Canada (Cross Canadian
Ragweed), who also contributes harmony vocals, is about a guy trying to
deal with life's irritations, takes a deep breath, and he's much better
now.
Mike McClure's "Travelin' Jones", finds a
rambling man who just can't seem to stay in one place for too long,
always needing to hit that "two lane blacktop." Co-written with Stoney
LaRue, "She Deserves What She Gets", is a fast moving barnburner with
some outstanding instrumental work, about a guy who can't stand the
fact he's fallen for a woman that makes him do things contrary to who he
is.
"Gear And Dust" is a dark and haunting song,
about a sort of modern day outlaw- a drug dealer who works truckstops
and dancehalls, and ultimately meets with an unhappy ending. "Falling
With Style" sends the message that things will work out in the end, if
only we give things a chance.
"St. Valentine" is a rocker, that begs the
patron saint of love, his well's dried up and to please send him someone
so he can be in love.
The CD closes with the mournful " 'Can't
Figure How", a man seeking repentance. His life was going fine, but he
somehow strayed off course, and asks the Lord to be shown the way back.
With two strong, excellent releases
now under their belts, if Jason Boland and the Stragglers stay on
course, they have a very promising future to become a major force in
country music.
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AnnMarie Harrington Take Country
Back April 2002