Mark Insley
Tucson
Rustic Records #106

by Al Kunz

I remember once you told me
I was in your head, like a drug
Said you had to go to detox
Just try to escape my love

And those hours that I spent
You know you were always on my mind
It never seems to end
Yeah, no matter how hard I try
                             -Mark Insley ­ Tucson

Listening to a disc for the first time you don't know what to expect. Some songs will seem insignificant, not divulging their true strengths without repeated listenings. Others will grab you by the throat, commanding your full attention, only to weaken the grip later, revealing themselves to really be lightweights.

"Tucson", the title track to the sophomore release from Californian Mark Insley, grabbed me by the throat; but it won't let go. This is Country-Rock the way it was meant to be, combining a driving rock rhythm, lead vocals with a hint of twang, and Clare Muldaur harmonizing on the chorus.

Maybe I'll just go to Tucson
Albuquerque's nice this time of year
Maybe I can even lose some of these
blues in between somewhere

Musical backup is provided by a group of first rate musicians including guitarist Tony Gilkyson, drummer David Raven, and Greg Leisz on steel guitar. Guitarists Dave Alvin, Rick Shea, and Albert Lee also make guest appearances.

For this follow-up to his 1996 release Good Country Junk Insley changed labels to Rustic Records. Rustic is a small indie imprint that likes "the music of wide open spaces, dusty little border towns and all the honky tonks in between". There home is "out here in the hot stinking damned desert, a place we dearly love". In this spirit Insley's songs conjure images of the rural west, the ultimate example being "Middle of Nowhere", a story that will provoke recognition in anyone who's ever taken a road trip on blue highways across the vast emptiness of Nevada or West Texas.

"Last Chance Gas", I must have missed it
Seems like I can't do anything right
It's going to be a long, long walk to fix it
Right now it don't seem worth the fight
I'm stranded on this road
Learning what's beyond all my control

Out in the middle of nowhere
Nobody's fate but my own
Out in the middle and I don't care
Cuz I got time and no place I gotta go

The ten cuts on Tucson span the full spectrum of country and rock. "Did I Wake You?" and "Guilty" are pure country ballads that manage to avoid the clichés normally associated with the genre as performed by today's pop-country Nashville acts. Anchoring the other end of the scale with only a hint of country influence, but lots of fuzzy guitar and pounding drums, "Bus to Bakersfield" can only be called rock.

One unexpected highlight is Insley's interpretation of Wayne Carson's "She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)".

I've seen men look at her before
And you think that I don't see
I'd like to think it makes me proud
But I'm only fooling me
I know she'll be looking back
The minute that I'm not there
While she pours herself on some stranger
I pour myself a drink somewhere

The tenth and final tune is "Can't Get Over You", a sentimental country-folk ballad with hauntingly beautiful harmony vocals provided once again by Clare Muldaur.

If you don't like rock this album isn't for you. If you're someone that can't stand country leave this CD on the rack at the record store. But for those of us who love both, those who wish the Eagles had stayed true to their original vision, those who wonder how the country rock sound of the seventies has evolved to still sound contemporary at the beginning of the new century, this is the album for you. Hurry to www.rusticrecords.com and order your copy right now. For the more timid song samples are available at the same location. Tucson may also be purchased from the normal internet outlets or through your local music retailer.

Contact Al Kunz at kunz-at-rockzilla.net

 
Read Rockzilla's Guestbook
Sign Rockzilla's Guestbook