- Dan Roberts
Viva La Cowboy
- Old Boots Music
- By Al Kunz
 Staring
at the blank screen, attempting to gather my thoughts, I wonder
if I am about to do something unprecedented in the history of
Rockzillaworld, write something positive about Garth Brooks.
During my initial credit scan, I'd seen Mr. Brooks listed as
co-author with Bryan Kennedy and Dan Roberts of "The Beaches
of Cheyenne" and had the knee-jerk reaction any self respecting
fan of Americana, traditional country, and whatever-the-hell-we
cover-here music might. "This oughta be fun," I tell
myself with more than a little sarcasm. As my ex-wives will
happily tell you, sometimes I should just shut-up and listen.
I toss Dan Roberts' Viva La Cowboy in the player, take
a deep breath, and push play. When "Fort Worth Texas,"
a western swing tune written by Hall of Fame songwriter Cindy
Walker, starts playing my ears perk up and I look at those credits
a little closer.
It turns out Dan Roberts will remind you more of Bob Wills
or George Strait (an obvious influence) than anyone else. And,
sure, at times you might hear a bit of that Brooks fellow too.
We'll get that out of the way first. I was surprised that a
quick sampling of references to Brooks in the pages of Rockzillaworld
uncovered some unexpected results. Seems that comparisons to
specific Brooks songs (usually from the first half of his career)
were generally positive. Reading between the lines, the less
explicit references commented more on the attempts and failures
by the record labels at finding suitable Garth clones than on
Brooks himself (as Michael Keaton said in Multiplicity,
a copy of a copy isn't as good as the original). I guess telling
you that "Beaches of Cheyenne" is a good song isn't
as unprecedented as I thought. This rodeo-themed ballad tells
the story of a woman widowed by "a bull that no man could
ride" that conceivably could have come from Chris Ledoux's
catalog. Garth and I would both see that as a positive.
Roberts and Brooks met when both were novice Music City songsmiths.
Roberts has since relocated to Fort Worth, but not before assimilating
some of the lessons Nashville had to give. Like the best songwriters,
his lyrics are concise, painting a picture in much less than
the thousand words the painting is supposedly worth. His choice
of covers demonstrates an ear for a good tune. And there isn't
anything on Viva La Cowboy you couldn't imagine sneaking
across the desk of the program director at most country radio
stations. On the plus side, he missed the lesson that country
music isn't supposed to sound country anymore.
A long list of musicians worked with Roberts here, including
former Buddy Holly guitarist and swing master Tommy Allsup, along
with a bevy of primo Nashville session players, several who moonlighted
as members of The Time Jumpers, a Western swing outfit. No wonder
the swing tunes sound so good. The up-tempo "Only in Texas,"
while not deep, will surely get your toes tapping too. But the
real surprises here are the ballads. Besides "Beaches of
Cheyenne" there's "Wolves," written by Stephanie
Davis, whose songs have been recorded by Waylon Jennings, Shelby
Lynne -- and, yes, Garth Brooks originally recorded the tune.
This elegy for smalltime farmers and ranchers who haven't survived
the competition of corporate agriculture makes you wonder if
it's any better for those who are still hanging on, always fearful
that it's just a matter of time. "Angelina Dance,"
written by Roy Robinson and Fort Worth's Earl Musick, is a Marty
Robbins styled, barely-north-of-the-border tale of doing what
it takes to get by. This is the standout among a darn good batch
of buckle polishers.
When the cowboys would come to dance she'd always lead
'em on
They all thought they had a chance to take Angelina home
Why else would a beautiful woman hang out in a border bar
Dancing for tips swaying her hips to the sad guitar
With her right hand above her head, her left hand fans
her skirt
The sorrow in her eyes mistaken as a way to flirt
Her little girl wasn't for them, but the money they'd spend
Dancing away she'd always pray for each night to end
If you don't like music that isn't precariously balanced on
the edge, Viva La Cowboy isn't for you. But if you've
ever danced to Asleep at the Wheel, if you've caught yourself
singing along with Alan Jackson or the singer Roberts pays tribute
to on "Swingin' 'Til We Can't See Strait," this disc
is for you.
It's a fool-hearted memory
To think Fort Worth won't cross my mind
I'll be down and out 'cause it ain't cool to think about the
time
When he hangs up his hat and steps down from the stage
Where the sidewalk ends and the cowboy rides away
We'll be swingin' 'til we can't see Strait
When it's dance time in Texas
Cross my heart I think it's great
Nobody in their right mind line dances in this state
We just swing until we can't see Strait
* Visit www.danroberts.net
for more. A portion of the proceeds from this disc will be donated
to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, if that'll help
you get past any bias you've got against songs written by a certain
country star.
Contact Al Kunz at kunz-at-rockzilla.net
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