May 27, 2024 – Cowgirlup

Scotty was in danger of becoming country pop ….thank goodness somebody or something got to him in time and put him in a truck or on a horse and knocked some sense into him.

On this album, he is doing what he was born to do. Think the modern legends – Jackson, Strait, Tritt, McGraw, Garth and co and the boy becomes a cowboy again.

This is good stuff. He is still a rookie in the rodeo but he is going to last more than 9 seconds, if he keeps this up.

He mixes it up a bit with some different speeds on the tractor, but it is all country.

When he does speed it up it is more Brooks and Dunn at full blast than Thrash country.

Of course, I’m attracted more to a ballad or a sad song and there’s a few of those and he does those the best.

Slow dancing, love, heartbreak, country life, drinking, tractors, mountains – it is all there.

He lists Elvis as his greatest musical influence, together with more obvious artists like Merle, Jones and Twitty.

One of the best songs on the album pays tribute to classic country artists, No Country for Old Men.

I am usually dubious about Idol winners, but Scotty has evolved and has become his own man. He has suffered a few blows with record companies but this album makes a statement. He’s here to stay.

Totally Biased Fan Review: Moon and Stars – The Mavericks

1The Years Will Not Be Kind03:25
2Live Close By (Visit Often) [with Nicole Atkins]03:20
3Moon & Stars (with Sierra Ferrell)04:34
4Look Around You (with Maggie Rose)04:44
5And We Dance03:44
6Without a Word03:39
7Overnight Success02:54
8Here You Come Again (with Max Abrams)03:30
9A Guitar and a Bottle of Wine03:11
10The Name of the Game05:11
11Turn Yourself Around04:08
Total Runtime42:20

This is the 13th studio album from The Mavericks and the first original work since 2020.

They first had success because they were so different to anyone else at the time. It was hard to put them in to a box. They had their toes in a few different categories. The Latino element was strong, but there was other stuff there and there still is.

Other ‘country’ artists break rules but blow up the machine in the process. The Mavericks never destroyed country music, they just offered a different road. They also show we’d respect to tradition and the roots of what makes country music great.

Raul Malo, the lead singer, is considered to be one of the world’s greatest singers of any genre. Just as well, as the band is so diverse.

The Mavericks is like having Ronnie Milsap, Jose Feliciano, Freddy Fender and Roy Orbison in one band. Marty Robbins probably would have got a gig with them too.

There have been some band changes but you would expect that from a band founded in 1989. The had a rather big 9 year break but other than that, they are still a band who follows the same formula – anything goes.

They can be traditionally country, rocky, almost Beatlesque, Mexican, and just about anything else.

The Mavericks were always amazing instrumentally and that hasn’t changed either.

The fellas keep swapping hats, adding different instruments and make you do different dance moves.

It is not in the class of Music for all Occasions but this album is pretty amazing. For young folk hearing The Mavericks for the folkiest time, they will be totally overwhelmed with the originality and the rhythm changes. They will, as most of us always are, be blown away by the voice of Raul.

Best tracks: Moon and Stars, And We Dance, Turn Yourself Around, A Guitar and a Bottle of Wine.

Totally Biased Fan Review: What A Time To Be Alive – Raechel Whitchurch

Side A:
I’m Not Cool
Strange Is My Middle Name
Back Where I Belong
Untangled
What A Time To Be Alive
Where Magnolias Grow

Side B:
Nothing Makes You Happy
Drink Until Youre Alright
Somebody Hurt You
Like They Dont Know
Giving Up
Not Enough For Me

We have had to wait, but it has been worth the wait. If you look at the title of the first track, it is totally incorrect. Raechel is one of the coolest chicks in Australian Country Music.

She’s cool but she has kept her country sound – nothing bubblegum about this girl. She’s had a brief time out a couple of times – enforced and another time voluntary, but she’s been singing since she was little.

Her last album was more sunshine and rainbows, or at least it offered hope on a rainy day. This album is like a second part with the bumps and bruises that come with the ups and downs of life.

I love Raechel’s music. It is honest, it has variation and it is strong. The music is deeply entrenched in traditional country but there are modern touches and some tough subjects to tackle.

There have been six singles released which is a lot, with only ten songs on the album. That’s how they do it these days.

As someone who prefers albums – I always suggest that you buy the whole album so that you get the full story. In this case, I think that it is mandatory, because all of the chapters come together and the messages and their meanings become much more clear.

Somebody Hurt You, Where Magnolias Grow and Strange is My Middle Name and Drink Until You’re Alright are my favourites but all ten are special.

Raechel should be bigger than she is. She is multi talented, with her heart firmly in the country genre.

There are songs here that would not have been easy to write or sing, especially the title song.

This is a beautifully produced album, heartbreaking and heartfelt. It is a wonderful follow up to her last album.

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