ROBERT EARL KEEN
No Kinda Dancer (Sugar Hill)
The second reissue of Keen’s first album now places all his albums
under the same tent at Sugar Hill (the disc was originally put out by Keen
himself, and subsequently picked up Rounder). Included is the earliest version
of the favorite “Front Porch Song” (co-written with Texas A&M buddy Lyle
Lovett) and, of course, a previously unreleased track to lure in Keen
completists.
– Lee Nichols
THE SILOS/WALTER SALAS-HUMARA
Ask the Dust (Watermelon)
Essentially a reissue of the Silos’ 1986 self-released About Her
Steps, this 67-minute CD adds plenty of goodies to those eight songs that
originally made up their rootsy, western-flavored, campfire debut. Previously
unreleased gems like a 4-track living room demo from 1980 make this is a
catalogue bulk-up for those who bought the Watermelon reissue of Cuba or
the new-materialed Susan Across the Water. Yet, even though
Salas-Humara’s friendly, side-kick vocals are as charming as his stripped down
songs, this same easygoing quirkiness also confirms why the band’s appeal has
been confined to critical circles and grassroots groupies. – Raoul Hernandez
BOUFFANT JELLYFISH
A Band From Texas Fortunate Enough to Go to Kansas (Reservoir)
With 21 tracks of funk hooks and thrash grooves that span three tapes,
a phantom CD, and a couple dozen musical genres, A Band From Texas… is
the type of historical treatment usually reserved for major-label acts with a
big-selling back catalogue. Bouffant was never such a monster, but as
genre-benders with a surprisingly cohesive repertoire, this compilation seems
most important as lightly-penciled blueprints for current success stories at
Emo’s, Flamingo Cantina, and the Electric Lounge. – Andy Langer
“Bonus Tracks” reviews all local and Texas-based
releases commercially
available. Send to: “Bonus Tracks,”
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Box 49066, Austin, TX 78765.
This article appears in July 28 • 1995 and July 28 • 1995 (Cover).