On
Cajun Prairie Fire,
the Summer Wardrobe play music that evades easy categorization, though overall it's Texan in character in its blend of swampy roots rock and retro psychedelia. It's no accident that they cover
Roky Erickson's "Mine Mine Mind" on this CD, not only because
Erickson is also part of this strain of Texas rock (albeit with a far more frightening wacky edge), but also because
the Summer Wardrobe have actually toured with
Erickson as his backing band. There's also sometimes a strain of barroom country music that's missing from
Erickson's mix, though the dense and murky guitar rock of a track like "Highs in the Mid '90s" falls pretty close to the realm of mad genius psychedelia.
Cajun Prairie Fire isn't genius, however. It's just an OK stroll through the outskirts of such territory, sometimes approaching rather straightforward downcast Tex-Mex-flavored country-rock in cuts like "Ocotillo Sundown" and "One Longtime Feeling," and getting into some surprisingly power pop-flavored moves on "Baby, Let's Switch Graves," although the title alone lets you know that it's not exactly conventional power pop fare lyric-wise. ["Mine Mine Mind" and "Highs in the Mid '90s" are among three bonus tracks included in the bonus tracks edition only.] ~ Richie Unterberger