Live At Antones

Rounder, the well respected Cambridge, Massachusetts label has, of late, been picking up on acts who have left major label deals. Not long back it was Jimmie Dale Gilmore, now it’s the turn of fellow Flatlander Joe Ely.

This is Joe’s third live album and is a perfect companion to Live Shots (1980) and Live At The Liberty Lunch (1990) – a pretty good strike rate of one a decade! Every fan of Ely’s will already know what to expect; most of the material is drawn from his more recent albums but two tracks ‘Me And Billy The Kid’ and ‘Dallas’ are common to Liberty Lunch.

New tracks include ‘Oh Boy!’, ‘Rock Salt And Nails’, ‘Nacho Mama’ and Butch Hancock’s ‘Road Hawg’. Otherwise it’s Ely’s distinctive blend of roots rock, border music and country all the way. As such, it’s as rockin’ and as dynamic as ever and a pretty good place to start if you don’t have anything else by Mr Ely.

Another artist who draws on similar reference points is Tish Hinojosa, though she originates in a more reflectively folkish, multi-cultural background. Hinojosa is a literate and thoughtful writer, but the more soulful nature of the music here lacks the directness of her previous work.

Ronnie McCoury is well known for his pivotal role in his father’s band and as a musician of note in his own right. On Heartbreak Town he explores familiar territory, offering much that the bluegrass fraternity will like – from his excellent mandolin playing (Steve Earle notes, on the inner sleeve, that he just might be the best mandolin player alive) to his high lonesome voice and his songwriting and production skills.

There are no real surprises here. The instrumentation falls pretty much into the acoustic category and the players include a host of his friends, among them several bandmates and the renowned Jerry Douglas.

Those intrigued by Steve Earle’s shows in Dublin last year, would be well advised to check this Del boy out.