Amarillo Sky - McBride & The Ride

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Reviewed by Matt Bjorke

As a fan of any songs that have strong harmony vocals, the minute I heard that McBride & the Ride were back and were gonna release an album, I wanted to hear what they sounded like now. I faintly remember the band from their first time around, from 1990-1993, but since I didn't really become a Country Music fan until 1994, I decided that it would be neat to hear what a whole CD sounds like.

The members of the band are top songwriter and lead vocalist/bassist Terry McBride, (Brooks & Dunn's "How Long Gone"), Drummer Billy Thomas, who toured with Vince Gill during the hiatus, and Guitarist Ray Herndon, who has been a session guitarist the past few years.

After they recorded with MCA Nashville in the early 1990's, the band decided this time to sign with upstart label DualTone. At DualTone, they were granted the abilities to record the CD the way they wanted with little input from the labels. The results are shown here on their first CD with DualTone.

The opening track is the title track, "Amarillo Sky." With it's theme about a man who works hard and prays for everything he gets, the song sounds really good and sets the tone for the rest of the CD. Vocally, the chorus sounds a little like a John Berry song.

"Sure Feels Like It" has a nice sound that's reminiscent of Diamond Rio. That should be enough to make it a hit. The song is about a guy who has fallen in love again and says that it feels like the first time all over again.

"Leave Her With Me" finds the band sounding strikingly similar to Brooks & Dunn when the band breaks into the chorus. The song is about the singer telling another guy that if he leaves his girlfriend then the singer will take her from him.

If any song is going to get the band back on the radio, it is the fifth track on the CD, "Yours." With it's theme about love and devotion, the song could very well become 2002's version of Lonestar's "Amazed.

While all the other tracks are new songs, the band decided to cover a song that not many thought would ever get recorded again. The Who's "Squeeze Box" is that classic song with a double meaning. As crazy fun, this track is surprisingly recorded well and the guys seem to have fun with it. This is supposedly going to be a single.

With a wonderful collection of songs, this CD is one that is a worthy addition to the collection of most Country Music fans. It is more "contemporary" and for that some "traditional country" fans may have a disdain for it.

Song List:

1. Amarillo Sky
2. Sure Feels Like It
3. Anything That Touches You
4. You Take My Heart There
5. Leave Her With Me
6. Yours
7. Squeeze Box
8. Why Not Colorado
9. Hasta Luego
10. When Somebody Loves You