Troy Olsen

Troy Olsen - Arizona Cowboy Cool

Tracks

1. Living In Your World

2. Making Believe

3. She's Mine

4. Who Gave You the Right

5. Heaven That I Found

6. The Hank Song

7. Little By Little

8. Stronger Than The Wine

9. Rock Me

10. Trying To Find Love

You can purchase a copy of "Living in Your World" from www.troyolsen.com . Visit TexasMusicRoundUp You'll also find a sound clip of Troy's title cut.

According to his bio, Troy Olsen comes out of the mountains and hills of eastern Arizona, near the wild New Mexico border, where the creeping big city urbanization of Phoenix and Tucson has not yet reached, perhaps will never reach. As though to prove there is still a rural sound and a rural feel in this part of the Old West, where much of the state has chosen to either deliberately forget its past or try desperately to erase it, Troy Olsen sings country/western music the way it's supposed to be sung. That his influences include notaries such as Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson is not purely the reason. There are a lot of "new country" singers who also cite these influences. Troy was not merely "influenced" here. Troy very obviously understands what country music is supposed to sound like, and how to nourish his roots.

In staying true to those deep western roots, Troy produces here a disc
that is delightful to listen to. More than that, it is a triumphant debut,
every bit as good as, if not better than, similar debuts going gold with
Nashville's backing. If his sound is a little rough, it's the rough sound
of a real western singer, the gravelly tones of someone who knows what it's like to bounce around in the back of a pickup, has felt the harsh Arizona wind on his face and listened to stories told by old men in feed stores. A little rough edge is to be expected in a debut, especially one as gritty-true-to-life as this one. Leave the slick for the slickers, and head out for the high desert lonesome.

I had the great good fortune to catch Troy live, rather by accident. I
was there to catch a Dwight Yoakam show, at the Rockin' Rodeo in Tempe, Arizona. I was up against the stage when Troy came out, where he was extremely friendly to the Dwight fans who obviously fully expected to just have to "deal with" the opening act. But a few bars into his first song, and I wasn't just waiting for Dwight anymore - I was there to listen to this honky-tonker swing it. Before the end of the show, I knew I was a Troy Olsen fan, and would have to get his CD. I think Troy won over more than a few Dwight fans there.

It was very apparent from the start that one of Troy's greatest influences is Dwight Yoakam, and Troy admitted he's a Dwight fan himself. It's also very apparent on the CD, which is "the real deal." That's is being used a lot these days when singers like Troy surface; however, I'm going to use it again here. From the first blazing fiddle on the start of the first track of Living in Your World, it's clear that Troy Olsen is, indeed, a "real deal."

The blazing fiddle which opens up the disc is none other than Scott Joss, who has been Dwight's fiddle player for almost ten years, and has also played with Merle Haggard's Strangers. Also featured on the disc for a few tracks is Dwight's longtime keyboard player, Skip Edwards. As well, Troy is wearing a Nudie suit on the front cover, and if that's not a Jaime Castaneda shirt he's wearing on the inside liner notes photos (worn tails out), it's sure a close approximation. Still, while admiration for an inspiration might be clear, it's also clear that Troy is his own man. He may pay homage to his idols, but he does not imitate them. He has his own style and very much his own voice.

There are ten tracks on Living in Your World. Troy himself wrote or
co-wrote all of them. On the whole, none of them are weak or "filler."
The upbeat "Living in Your World" is a rocking hillbilly honky-tonk, a
great hook to grab the listener and draw them in. Troy has a extremely pleasant, slightly rough, warm baritone voice, well-suited to his chosen style. It's a voice made for barrooms and lonely sounds.

The next track, "Making Believe," is more than radio-worthy, a simple
straightforward honky-tonk love-gone-wrong song in the manner of old-style Merle. It's perfect for a shuffle across the dance floor. A rockin' bluesy number follows, "She's Mine," co-written with bluesman Teddy Morgan. Troy delivers it with style, showing that he can easily slide from one style to the other with grace. The next track is one of my personal favorites, and Troy's own composition, "Who Gave You the Right." Another straightforward honky-tonkin' track, it makes you want to get out on that dance floor.

Then Troy slows it down with the mournful ballad, "Heaven That I Found," another I would be more than delighted to hear on the radio it cries to: "Mr. Radio, please don't play that old song/the melody cuts me to the bone." Here is where the strength of Troy's delivery comes clear. He has, like the old Statler Brothers' song suggests, "a cry in his voice like Haggard." He follows this up with the inevitable tribute to Hank Sr., but the lyrics are too good to worry about thinking it "yet another song about Hank." It was this song that decided me on Troy, when he played it live. "The Hank Song" is worth the cost of the CD alone. "Little By Little" is an upbeat song, a "getting along" tune that, hopefully, could be prophetic for Troy - "I'm on my way." Back to the honky-tonk for "Stronger Than The Wine," shows that Troy is most comfortable on these well-trodden sawdust floors; another powerful song and a personal favorite. "Rock Me" is a tribute to his rebel roots, a blend of Waylon and Dwight that's all Troy. The closer wraps up the disc is another blues-edged offering from Troy and Teddy Morgan, writing with Chris Hunter, "Trying To Find Love." A little growl, a little cry, a little mournful, and it all wraps up neatly.

I have to give a nod to the rest of Troy's excellent band, including the
excellent Jay Dee Maness on pedal steel, the backbone of a honky-tonk band. Also featured are Michael Turner (guitars, piano, harmony), James Intveld (bass, acoustic steel and classical, tambourine), David Raven and Shawn Nourse (drums). Many of the musicians change instruments from track to track, and are credited as such, but of the two keyboard and piano players listed, neither are credited for track 10, where there is some excellent keyboard playing.

If I could find fault in this disc, all I'd have to say is that it's too short. I realize that ten tracks are traditional, stemming from the days
of long-playing vinyl, where most albums contained five songs to a side, but honestly, a CD can contain up to 80 minutes of music. It seems almost a waste to only use up 36 minutes of that, especially when there's so much talent there I want more of. But it's a small gripe, and one easily ignored. I do think Troy is strongest singing straight honky-tonk numbers, a two-step and shuffle, but it's also clear that with a little more work, he's going to be something special, a stalwart new addition to the Real Country sound.

I'm going to try to catch him again when he hits Phoenix in February. If you're in the Tucson area, he plays there weekly - check out his tour dates on his website, www.troyolsen.com. Check him out. You won't be sorry.

Kathy Coleman Take Country Back January 2002