Reckless Kelly

Good Luck & True Love (No Big Deal)

Following up last year’s tribute to cult honky-tonker Pinto Bennett, Somewhere in Time, with its first set of new material since 2008’s Bullet Proof, Reckless Kelly’s seventh studio LP finds the local fivepiece sounding controlled and assured, shrugging off a bit of Red Dirt rock for a more measured affair. Willy Braun’s vocals provide enough edge to compensate for a more restrained showing from David Abeyta’s usually fierce guitar work, here driving on “She Likes Money, He Likes Love” and road anthem closer “Hit the Ground Runnin’.” Instead, RK sets the pace in the middle gears and strikes a more contemplative and mature note while still allowing melodies to emerge with more versatility, from opener “Give It a Try” and “Guarded Heart” to the weary “New Moon Over Nashville.” Cody Braun’s fiddle cuts heartache across “Weatherbeaten Soul” and “I Stayed Up All Night Again,” and tenderly talked Todd Snider co-write “I Never Like St. Valentine” provides mid-LP tongue-in-cheek. Reckless may be reined in, but still reigning.

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This article appears in 30th Anniversary.

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Doug Freeman has been writing for the Austin Chronicle since 2007, covering the arts and music scene in the city. He is originally from Virginia and earned his Masters Degree from the University of Texas. He is also co-editor of The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology, published by UT Press.