The
Red Dirt Rangers' first album in nearly five years,
Ranger Motel picks up pretty much exactly where its predecessors left off. The band's trademark blend of rock & roll grit with country twang and Western swing chops makes them one of the purest country-rock bands since the genre's '70s heyday: there's nothing alternative going on here. Rootsy rockers like the laid-back, organ-driven "Spice and Sugar" and the fiddle-rocking "Enjoy the Ride" sit comfortably next to the sweet "Psychedelic Cowboy," a touching farewell to the late
Doug Sahm, and an extended, spacy version of
the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" that emphasizes the song's country roots. Longtime fans will have no complaints about any of
Ranger Motel, but the extended layoff between albums has apparently widened the band's songwriting pool, because the songs are uniformly stronger than before, with fewer that trail off into extended boogie jams. ~ Stewart Mason