A review of 'Ride On' by The Coastal Cowboys

The first impression of ‘Ride On!’, the new CD album by The Coastal Cowboys, is the quality of the artwork and packaging. The strong imagery and colours, featuring a silhouetted rodeo-riding cowboy offset against near-psychedelic graphics, suggest that fun and professionalism are not mutually exclusive. The accompanying 12-page full-colour booklet is a delight and includes a welcome message setting the album in context, full lyrics, equipment lists (I'm not jealous!) and the obligatory credits and thank yous...including one or two for Bill and Emiko. The design cleverly features images of what are now kitsch and clichéd country insignia: horseshoes, revolvers, sheriff badges etc., but then shouts “hey, think again - there’s something new here...you ready for this?”

I’d previously been introduced to The Coastal Cowboys via Dreamsville contributor (and one half of the band) Eric Tilley’s Soundclick offerings. The Soundclick tracks typically had a strong emphasis on showcasing the songwriting - often with other elements assuming secondary importance. To some degree this is the case here - “It’s all about the songs” it says in the sleeve notes. Speaking of which....

‘Moonrise’...sets out The Coastal Cowboys’ stall superbly. Strong, catchy and melodically rich - I could easily hear this as a hit. There’s a looseness to the recording which you sometimes feel needs a nip or a tuck here and there, but then I’d probably like it less if it were too perfect.

‘Honey I Do!’ Another well-groomed melody with some classy guitar playing. Another track that you can imagine any number of known artists singing. So far this is hitting the spot.

‘Close Their Eyes’...features some effective Spanish style guitar balladeering and a lovely duetted vocal hook. By this point you realise how well the album has been mastered - for a collection of songs essentially presented as “raw”, the decision to use a professional mastering facility was a correct one.

‘Another One Last Chance’ If The Beatles had gone to Nashville instead of Hamburg, then they might have sounded like this. The guitar work on this track is exceptional.

‘Josephine’ A drop in tempo but not in temperature. A choice ballad with some classy, bluesy guitar, slightly redolent of Elton John’s ‘Lady Samantha’.

‘Shadows’ A mid-tempo track which leaves some headroom for the effective story based lyrics.

‘She Fixes Me’...begins with a wash of chorused guitars with a solo guitar reinforcing the vocal. “I might not even be broken, still she fixes me”, says the lyric.

‘You’re Not Here’... instrumentally wanders into new territory with strange synths (or are they guitars in places?) and an almost psychedelic-country feel! This is country music on the ragged edge of something new and special. Possibly the killer track, but with some stiff competition.

'Jaguar Girl' Perhaps the rawest track on the album with a definite 'demo' feel. Despite this, the strong lyrics and equally interesting percussion lend the track its own personality and justify its inclusion.

‘Reprise’...continues to grip the imagination with relentless guitars. More new-wave than new country.

‘Hit The Highway’...sees things slowdown with an alluring country-blues song. “Sometimes when you hit the highway, the highway hits back”. Whisky, bartender!

‘Sleepy Town’ Musically closer to the tracks at the start of the album. When you hear it you realise you’ve been on a journey. 12 tracks in and the songwriting quality is as strong as ever.

‘(Encore)’ A bluesy guitar based outro, which perfectly concludes the album.

At the end, I think I heard myself saying “wow!” It was quite a ride. There are plenty of musical points of reference here and some of The Coastal Cowboys’ influences are listed on their Soundclick and Myspace web sites. It's also very much The Coastal Cowboys. For what is primarily a collection aimed at showcasing (and hopefully selling) individual songs, ‘Ride On!’ also works as a complete album. At times a pleasant evening gallop, at other times a big adventure, 'Ride On!' is for cowboys and cowgirls who don't mind a bit of dust 'n dirt on their ranchboots. Think 'Crosby, Stills and Nash The Slash' and you'll begin to get the idea....

I sincerely hope the Coastal Cowboys do well with this. If it’s any measure of success, in my book they already have.

John
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Dixitque Deus Fiat Lux Et Facta Est Lux

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