Recommended: Wylie And The West, James Hand, And Lost Immigrants

Wylie And The West - Bucking Horse Moon
After twelve album releases and hearing his famous Ya-hoo-ooo! from the Yahoo.com advertising campaigns, I’m just now discovering Wylie Gustafson. I’ve actually enjoyed this album immensely. Everything has an old-time country sound, from the instruments to the vocals but still remains relevant. The opening track has a fast upbeat sound that will surely get your toes tapping a long and a smile on your face, so when you’re feeling down and blue, there’s one that’ll get you through…”Whip Out a Yodel” from Wylie and The West. On other songs he sings about cowboys, horses, and the good life reminiscent of something you would have found in an old Marty Robbins song. Between cowboy ballads and belting out yodels Wylie shows he’s not afraid to tackle famous songs from other artists in “Don’t Take Your Guns To Town.” In case you were wondering, the album was produced by John Carter Cash.

James Hand - The Truth Will Set You Free
I’ve heard people talk about James Hand every now and then, but never heard any of his songs until I picked up his CD on a recent trip to Waterloo Records. If real country music is what you’re after, James Hand is the man you’re looking for. He draws a lot of comparisons to Hank Williams, and while they’re not unwarranted, everything you find on his album is unequivocally James Hand original. He’s in his 50s and obviously lived an interesting life judging from his songs. Hand freely admits that everything he writes is about him and experiences he’s gone through: “I ain’t Shakespeare, I can’t write about something that hasn’t happened to me,” and his songs are better for it. The Truth Will Set You Free was co-produced by two Texas music veterans, Ray Benson and Lloyd Maines. Willie Nelson also adds to Hand’s credibility, calling him “the real deal.” If you ask me, the man knows how the name a song as well, with numbers like “Just An Old Man With An Old Song,” “If I Live Long Enough To Heal,” “I’ve Got A Lot Of Hiding Left To Do,” and “Here Lies A Good Ole Boy” under his belt.

Lost Immigrants - Waiting on Judgement Day
Lost Immigrants is another new band to me, and definitely worth a listen. They’re classified as Americana and claim influences from country, Southern rock, blues and pop, which makes an interesting blend of music that they make work for them. They’ve got superb melodies and storybook lyrics about broken hearts and lost love that keep the listeners attention. There’s no superfluous production techniques or wasted notes to get in the way of the songs. This CD also dons another famous Texas music veteran as a producer in Ray Wylie Hubbard. The album has enormous playback value as well, trust me, it’s been in my CD player for a while now.