Following up
Viva Terlingua with a studio record was a tall order for
Jerry Jeff and the Lost Gonzo Band, but true to form as they were until the late '70s, they rose to the occasion with an inspired set of songs.
Walker wrote six of the album's ten tracks, the Lost Gonzo Band's
Gary P. Nunn wrote two more, Billy Callery wrote one, and David Cohen wrote another. It was all in the family. It's an up-tempo, rockin' country record with "Salvation Army Band" kicking everything off; it's followed by a drunken, barely pulled-off "Will There Be Any" a cappella. There are the tough outlaw love songs like "She Left Me Holdin'" and the long, moving ballad "My Old Man," which follows the wild Dixieland ride of "I Like to Sleep Late in the Morning." There's
Gary Nunn fronting the band on a live version of "Rock Me, Roll Me" and the brass band feel of "The First Showboat." This is where
Stephen Foster meets Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives meets
Jerry Jeff's lazy, drawling Texas bass voice on the Mississippi. The album's high point is a ballad,
Walker's version "Well of the Blues" by
Nunn. It's simply arranged: a piano, a bass drum, a brushed snare,
Walker's deep voice, and a backing chorus with a B3 easing in the background very slowly and faintly. What can you say? It's another winner. ~ Thom Jurek