Album Review: ‘LoCash Cowboys’ – LoCash Cowboys
11 years ago Liv Carter 1
When duo LoCash Cowboys signed with Average Joes Entertainment at the end of last year, the deal not only landed them with a label that understood what they had been trying to do, but also linked them with the producers their project needed. Surrounded by the right people, Preston Brust and Chris Lucas soon threw themselves into the recording process with alacrity. The resulting self-titled album, due out June 18, is not flawless but it is diverse, modern, strong, and confident. The duo had a hand in writing ten of the twelve tracks and collaborated with some of Nashville’s finest, including Jeffrey Steele, Jaron Boyer, Chris Janson, Steve Dean, and Wil Nance.
More than ever there is more lurking beneath the surface than a casual listen would suggest. Opener ‘Hey Hey Hey’ may seem like a typical list-song relying on country signifiers, but it throws unexpected elements into the mix. It also links to what has always been the strongest aspect of their career, their immense live performance, with a chorus of fans joining in – a wonderful production idea. First single ‘Chase a Little Love’ achieves several things at once: it builds a bridge between their previous material and the updated sound, and with its attitude, charm, and sparkle it establishes a mood that is carried through the entire album.
The record’s personality is most in evidence, tellingly, in the newer songs. ‘Fine,’ an amalgamation of several successful formulae, is a caffeine kick delivered with mischievous energy. Together with ‘Hey Hey Hey,’ it is unapologetically a rock song. The strength of ‘Little Miss Crazyhot,’ with pleasantly nonsensical lyrics in the verses, is in the telling, not the tale. As with ‘Chase,’ the melody of the chorus is incredibly strong but, most importantly, the tune is just too much fun for any kind of cynicism to take hold.
The emotional core of the album is a trio of ballads. With its deep affection, ‘I Hope’ is as close to a hug as a song can get. The very personal ‘Best Seat in the House’ allows Lucas to deal with his father’s passing with emotion flavoring his impressive performance, and ‘Keep in Mind’ couples Jeffrey Steele and Shane Minor at their songwriting best with a heartfelt vocal interpretation. A great moment on the album is ‘Independent Trucker,’ a standout in every way possible. It features the incomparable voice of George Jones with the (sadly now late) country music icon showing off his playful side.
Weak(er) links are ‘Make it Look Good,’ of which the melody drags a little, and previous single ‘C.O.U.N.T.R.Y.’ which could have easily been left off in favor of another new song.
Two songs make my point about the production for me. The more time I spent with ‘Love Drunk,’ the more it revealed its shortcomings, but the arrangement elevates the song. Steel guitar and steel drum chat back and forth in the first part of the chorus before fiddle joins the conversation, leaving it to sound captivating and fresh. ‘Bounce’ is perhaps the song that comes closest to the live version. As it delightfully stomps and dances along with every instrument in the right place and right level in the mix, it has never sounded better. Several of these songs have greatly evolved over time but producers Shannon Houchins, Noah Gordon, and Jeffrey Steele managed to find the definitive version of each with their masterful production. Many of the tracks seem built around a tight rhythm section and judicious use of overdubs adds in just enough instrumentation to bring out the character of each song. This creates a lot of space for vocals and makes many of the songs on this summertime release glisten like sunlight dancing on the water.
LoCash Cowboys will be in stores in June 18, you can pre-order now via locashcowboys.com.
You can read more about the album in this recent UCN interview.
Liv Carter
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
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