| Cow Hear This - Various Artists | |
|
Reviewed by Jennifer Webb
Being such a fan of Texas country music, you will not hear any complaining about all of the compilations that have been released lately. Cow Hear This is just another one of the excellent collection of songs by and from the good ole boys of Texas - whether it is recitation in Rodney Crowell's "Highway 17" or a song that is chock full of loud vocals in Roger Creager's song, "Love."
You cannot go wrong starting out an album with a song with Texas in its title, as illustrated in Pat Green's "Texas On My Mind," a song about missing a loved one and remembering a time when things were seemingly perfect. He misses her so much that he contemplates hopping on a jet and calling her on the phone, but he just does not have the guts.
The young guys of Eleven Hundred Springs are up next with their calm sounding "See You In The Next Life," which happens to be a song about how ugly breakups can be sometime. In the end he realizes how opposite they really were when he remembers how she would laugh at people that trip and fall and she would always try to change his hair. Then as quickly as he remembered the bad stuff, his memories turn to the fun times to which he says, "I hope you don't hate me" and "I feel like I'm to blame." Breaking up can be confusing and often times people want to give it a second chance.
One of the most honky-tonkin' dudes to come from Texas is Mr. Kevin Fowler, and "Beer, Bait & Ammo" is perfect for this release with the crowd participation during the chorus and the sing-along quality alone. The catchy lyrics are also a plus as we hear about going to the local shop to get "anything any old beer drinking redneck needs."
From fun to tender, group Cooder Graw plays their song about breakup and how they have had "Better Days." Everything happening around him constantly reminds him of the love he had that was lost. However, after some time passes he realizes that the pain will not last forever and he will experience happiness in the future.
Get ready to boogie with "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens," performed by none other than Asleep At The Wheel, a force in the Texas Swing genre. When a guy turns on the lights and points the gun into the coop they say he better point the gun somewhere else and "hit the hay" because the only ones there are the chickens. In the middle of the song there is a wonderful saxophone solo that grabs your attention before the lyrics (this time about roosters) start up again.
No matter what changes in this world, the only two things that remain the same are "Pearl Snap Shirts" and cheap bourbon whiskey according to Jason Boland & The Stragglers. This one really gets you thinking about the way things are nowadays when Jason sings about how you cannot cuss, kids are walking around schools carrying guns, and you can legally mention Buddha but nothing about Jesus.
Bruce Robison, younger brother of Charlie Robison, sings an ode to one of his idols - Willie Nelson - in "What Would Willie Do," a humorous masterpiece written with the Red-Headed Stranger in mind. With more of a humorous approach than Gary Allan's version, Bruce wonders what Willie would do in certain situations as he then thinks of various stories he heard, like when his wife sewed Willie into his bed sheets after he passed out in it. The "sock it to me" lyrics heard in the background really make you want to laugh out loud because they fit so perfectly.
With talent and the voices to make any song sound great, Cow Hear This is definitely an album that will be played many times over in my CD player. The sequencing is perfect and subjects cover a wide array of topics, which is always good to have on any album. This is what country music is all about.
Song List:
Sound clips courtesy of Barnes & Noble.
Album cover courtesy of Compendia Music.
Click on the button below to find the best price for this CD and purchase it from a retailer on the Internet.
