CD Review – Gary Nicholson (True Texas country)
Texas Songbook
Bismeaux Records
Gary Nicholson has been around. Between writing songs for George Strait, Bonnie Raitt and Gregg Allman as well as for the Oscar-winning soundtrack to the movie Crazy Heart, producing two Grammy-winning records and collaborating with a who’s who of country and blues artists (Keb’ Mo’, Garth Brooks and Neil Diamond to name a few) Nicholson knows how to make a great track. That’s why his latest album seems almost too specialized.
The album is a tip of the hat to Texas with an old-school Hank Williams country feel to it, but there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of diversity throughout the album. Slow to mid-tempo tracks permeate with a heavy dose of slide guitar and general twang. Maybe it’s that I’m not a big twangy country fan, but the album just seems to drag throughout the thirteen tracks.
Nicholson does what he set out to do (honor Texas with a truly country-sounding record), but I wonder if this tribute was actually needed.
