Jimmy LaFave proves that rock ‘n’ roll still lives with this collection of blues, ballads and rootsy rockers. Texoma evokes the windswept, dusty border country where Texas and Oklahoma meet, in LaFave’s gritty tenor vocals, in his spare, Texas-style blues guitar lines, and in his choice of songs. I suspect the audience at a LaFave gig in some roadhouse in Oklahoma or Texas would hear a mix of songs much like that on this album.
Half of the 16 tracks are his own brand of blues like the opening track “Bad Bad Girl” and “Poor Man’s Dream,” and ballads, including a tribute to Oklahoman Woody Guthrie and tender love songs like “Never is a Moment” and “Love Can Find its Own Way.” The eight cover songs range from the rockabilly rave-up “Elvis Loved His Mama” to Alvin Lee’s Brit-blues anthem “Rock and Roll Music to the World.”
Other covers include Jimmy Webb’s mid-Seventies ballad “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress,” with poetic lyrics typical of vintage Webb: “God I fell, and I fell alone/And the moon’s a harsh mistress/And the sky is made of stone.” LaFave does a fine job on Bob Dylan’s obscure (to me) mid-Eighties ballad “Emotionally Yours.” And his uptempo rocking cover of the late John Phillips’ “San Francisco” shouldn’t work, but it does.
The high points, though, are a couple of LaFave’s own numbers, the uplifting anthem “This Glorious Day,” which is getting some well-deserved airplay on alt-country radio, and the rocking shuffle of “On the Road to Rock and Roll,” which is something of an answer to the old country chestnut, “I’ve Been Everywhere.” It’s little more than a listing of the places, people and songs that have influenced LaFave’s music and rock ‘n’ roll in general, from Asbury Park to the Lost Highway, L.A. woman to Nashville cats — but it rocks and it’s true.
The album isn’t long on solos, but LaFave really cuts loose on the Strat a few times, particularly on “Red Dirt Song.” He has a small but hot backing band that’s always just right in its approach, from Larry Wilson’s lap steel and Dobro to David Webb’s organ and piano to vocals from The Burns Sisters, and it’s all anchored by solid bass and drums by Will Landin and Eric Hansen. My one criticism is that on some of the ballads, LaFave’s voice breaks on seemingly every other syllable, which pushes them close to overwrought.
But if you’re looking for excellent rock ‘n’ roll, straight up and honest with no frills but a lot of impact, look no further than the land of Texoma.
(Bohemia Beat, 2001)
