Jason Boland & The Stragglers "Truckstop Diaries"
	by Michael Johnson

	"Truckstop Diaries" is the second album from Stillwater, Oklahoma based Jason Boland & the Stragglers. These red dirt boys made a name for themselves last year with their solid debut album, "Pearl Snaps", and have followed it up with an outstanding record which is due to be realeased in mid June. Boland, who wrote or co-wrote eight of the eleven tracks on "Truckstop Diaries", writes songs that make you stop and wonder how a guy so young knows about all this stuff- lying, cheating, crying, dealing, despair and death- Boland covers 'em all here. The Stragglers are: Roger Ray on lead & rhythm guitar, pedal steel, dobro and baritone guitar, Dana Hazzard on fiddle, Grant Tracy on bass & banjo, and Brad Rice on drums, percussion & harmony vocals. These guys are an excellent country band and can flat out rock when needed. They are joined here by Mike McClure(gut string guitar & harmony vocals) and JJ Lester(tambourine) of The Great Divide. Additional musicians are Anthony Aquino on slide guitar, Frank Saffiotti on trumpet, Stoney LaRue on harmony vocals, and Walt Bowers on the B3 and piano. McClure and Lester also produced "Truckstop Diaries". Many of Boland's songs contain lyrics that are a bit edgy for traditional country folks, and he has been smart enough to include songs for those folks on both of the Stragglers' albums. Like 'Pearl Snaps', the title track here, 'Truckstop Diaries' is a catchy, fun, well written song which will be easy for any program director to add to his playlist. Boland sings about a variety of colorful characters who inhabit the truckstop where he's stuck after his car breaks down: This one old boy looks like a roadie from Skynrd, sucking down his chicken dinner, he's got a rebel flag right there on his grill. There's another one I swear he looks just like Hank, stopped in here to gas his tank, buy a pack of smokes and pop a couple of pills. Who needs TV when you've got a truckstop? Who needs movies when you've got the road? Who needs Mastercard? Hell, you've got Visa. Who needs to fix it, if it ain't broke? You can't have a country album without a prison song, and Boland teamed up with his buddy Stoney LaRue to write 'Shot Full of Holes', a sad song about a car thief who wants to mend his ways, but... He walked through the gate last Thursday and headed into town, What did he see but a Cadillac there, with all it's windows down. And it's broke down, hands bound, and it's back to who he was. No change, it seems strange, it ain't ever been push to shove. And now he's going back, to tie himself to the whipping pole, His American dream like the county line sign that he shot full of holes. Next up is red dirt legend Bob Childers' 'Tennessee Whiskey', followed by wildman Randy Crouch's 'Mexican Holiday'. Boland and Cody Canada(Cross Canadian Ragweed) teamed to write the honky tonkin' 'Much Better Now'. Next up is Mike McClure's 'Travelin' Jones' about a guy who just can't give up that "two-lane blacktop", then Boland and Stoney LaRue's 'She Deserves What She Gets'. 'Gear and Dust' is a dark tune about a drug dealer who works truck stops and dancehalls. Things turn sour for him in the end: I met a drifter on the highway. I had less cash than he had hate. He left me lying in a bar ditch somewhere beside the interstate. When you're dead it's not really over. Some say they've even seen my ghost. At a roadside up in Guthrie, Lord knows that's where I sold the most. Gear and dust turns new to rust. I can't trust the people that I meet. Yeah making gear and dust they finally laid me down to sleep. On 'Falling with Style', Boland tells us that everything will work out, if we let it: You're back on your feet knock the dust from your jeans. And your soul's on its knees rolling dice with your dreams. You've got a watch in your pocket, keeping track of the days. And you OD'd on aspirin, but your headache remains. It's gonna be all right in a matter of time, The dirt is gonna yield and the poem's gonna rhyme. It's gonna be all right, it might take a little while. 'Cause flying ain't nothing, just fallin' with style. 'Saint Valentine' is a rocking tune about a guy who's tired of being lonely: Hey St. Valentine! If you could find the time, Send some blessing my way, my well is running dry. Hey St. Valentine! Is there someone who could be mine? I just want somebody to love, if you could find the time. 'Can't Figure How' is a prayer of repentance: Bless me Father, for I know I've sinned. And it's been too long since I called your name. I don't know what happened from the altar until now, but I hear you still love me and I can't figure how. All the empty bottles, all the empty smiles. Too few kind words spoken, a lot of messed up miles. There's nothin' that will eat you alive like a broken vow, but I hear you still love me and I can't figure how. Hallelu! Hallelu! Can someone please tell me what to do? Hallelu! Hallelu! I had it all together and it broke in two. Jason Boland is already a fine songwriter and as he matures, I expect that he'll get even better. He has an excellent country voice with an air of honesty and understanding in it that adds weight to his lyrics. He has a talented group of musicians behind him in The Stragglers. Together they've put out a strong second album. Go to see their shows(but be ready for that hell raisin' crowd they attract) and buy their albums. These red dirt boys are doing country right. Visit their web site at www.thestragglers.com   Contact Michael Johnson at: rockzilla-at-rockzilla.net

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