Armadillo Road

by Armadillo Road

Track listing: Take Me Back, Annie, Pour Me A Double, Perfect Song, Good Times, Jail Song, Goodbye LA, Never Be Mine, Eyes of Brown, Light A Match

In the new era of country music that saturates country radio with performers such as Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, it is refreshing to hear the self-titled album by Austin band Armadillo Road, a country band paying tribute to their country and Texas roots by playing more traditional music that is reminiscent of local country music legend Willie Nelson. The band’s description of their music on their web site, "with their brilliant melodies, soulful harmonies, and rich lyrical content, it's easy to get completely absorbed by their music," describes this record and the band completely.

The first track on the record "Take Me Back," about asking a higher power to take the singer back to before when things went wrong, begins with a haunting guitar intro and original country guitar riffs. The second track on the record titled "Annie" a ballad that does a good job of not being too sappy, is about a man asking a woman named Annie to keep their love a secret so that they can start a new life together without anyone causing a rift in their relationship: "Annie, gotta leave Arkansas behind, bought some land, west of Houston, gonna leave it all behind, and Annie, I want you to be my wife."

The third track on the record "Pour Me A Double" is the first upbeat track that runs from the law with the opening line "selling my soul in San Diego, making a fortune LA, lost in my head in Frisco, and kicking it all away." "Pour Me A Double" is a wonderful country tune that you can imagine would get die hard country fans out of their seats and dancing in their cowboy boots at the likes of local Austin venues like The Broken Spoke. By far the weakest song on the record is the fifth track titled "A Perfect Song," with a beat that is too slow to keep you interested, and at times the vocals sound very strained. The rest of the tracks on the album ("Good Times," "Jail Song," "Goodbye LA," "Never Been Mine," "Eyes of Brown," and "Light a Match") are all solid efforts to make a record that their fans will enjoy.

Overall, Armadillo Road’s efforts to make what sounds like true a country record was a great success. Each song takes listeners on a journey, with each telling a unique story, which is why country music is so appealing and relatable. Armadillo Road has released a solid effort, with only one song that could be labeled as "filler." I look forward to what Armadillo Road will release in the future.

Posted on 9/17/12