Steve Bedunah

Plug It in and Play (Dog Trot)

Fort Worth-born Steve Bedunah’s writing has been compared to James McMurtry, but stylistically he rides somewhere between Townes Van Zandt’s monotone and Kris Kristofferson’s gravelly vocals. Plug It in and Play isn’t his first recording, but it’s the one that should bring him the right audience. Bedunah’s knack for wry lyrics suits the grit in his limited vocals, and it’s clear that the eye he casts the modern world is as acerbic as his tongue. “Wireless networks and DSL, I want to e-mail them all to go to hell,” proclaims “Down to This River,” pitting rustic roots against technology. Bedunah is the heartbroken lover in “Down the Drain,” while on the title track he’s the faithless lover in love with playing guitar: “Some things are scared, some things are holy. Like a twangin’ Telecaster, then there’s matrimony.”

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This article appears in April 20 • 2007.

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