Carter Doster Sexton

Carter Doster Sexton

The first recorded collaboration between three of Austin's premier musicians shouldn't surprise us. But it does. Performing infrequently at unlikely places like Z'Tejas and North by Northwest Restaurant & Brewery has obviously served Bill Carter, Stephen Doster, and Will Sexton well, as they conjure 14 songs of ringing roots pop and heavenly harmonies. Doster, ubiquitous as a local producer and songsmith in his own right, and Carter and Sexton, long hailed as songwriters and guitar players, mixed together results much greater than their parts. A winning amalgam of pop hooks, ethereal blues, and country-tinged ditties, Carter Doster Sexton bears actual comparison to the Traveling Wilburys, who possess a similar bounce and incandescent flair. Doster's downhearted "Can't Save the World" and woozy, horn-fueled "Nothing but Time" plus Sexton's bustling "Let This Heartbreak Begin" are three standouts. It's an album meant to be consumed as a whole so one can revel in its many charms.