Real borderlands roots music; top-notch songs and musicianship make this a stunn
author: Robert Earl Hardy
Outlaws & Lovers is a keeper: real borderlands roots music full of beauty, mystery, romance, and cocksure humor. The song selection ranges from haunting ballads to downhome dancehall swing, all set against a timeless south-Texas backdrop. Bianca's style is refreshingly open and honest, her voice a dark, silky mixture of hard-edged strength and tender vulnerability. Her duet with Joe Ely on her stunning tale of tempted fate, "Carlos", is outstanding, as is her stark, perfect arrangement of Townes Van Zandt's "Waitin' Round To Die", the best cover you'll ever hear of this song. The warm longing of "I'd Rather Miss Texas" and the deep-rooted warmth and wisdom of "You Can't Fool an Old Fool" are further examples of the straightforward realism of Bianca's lyrics, where tragedy is always tempered with hope, or at least resilience. The Tejano flavor of Teye's Spanish guitar and Joel Guzman's accordion combine with the barroom eloquence of Telecaster master Redd Volkaert (from Merle Haggard's band), Marty Muse, Gene Elders, and a host of veterans from the bands of artists such as Lyle Lovett, Tish Hinojosa, and Los Super Seven, to create a deep, rich, timeless sound that is nothing less than the real deal, the real heart and soul of Texas.
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