Last Train Home
Bound Away
Blue Buffalo – 0014
visit Last Train Home
on red beet records
also available on cd baby
This Country Rock or Roots Americana band has a solid large sound to it; this is due to its rotating number of players. Eric Brace is the lynch pin of the outfit, he does the lead singing, plays acoustic guitar, and he wrote 7 of the 12 songs. The rest of the band shuffles in and out of the line-up and plays as needed, it is listed as 10 strong. Of the ones he didn’t write one is the traditional tune, “Rye Whiskey”, a straight forward country version of Bob Dylan’s “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You”, and then tunes by Karl Straub, Paul Kelly, and to start the disc off is a rocking version of “Marlene”, by Kevin Johnson. They tend to throw a few good curve balls with some pieces that shift the tempo and use horns and particularly the trumpet on “Dogs On The East Side”, courtesy of Kevin Cordt. There is a very
heart felt tribute to Johnny Cash that avoids maudlin sentimentality, and the trite emotions that have a tendency to appear in this type of song. Special mention should be made for Jared Barlett, and the engineering, mixing and producing he did on this disc, as well as playing electric guitar and some vocals. Other special mention should be for Jeff Lang for some electric guitar leads and some eerie resophonic guitar on “Gravedigger’s Blues”. A band that knows the value of a good song and goes out of its way to make a strong presentation.