Released hot on the heels of
Randy Rogers
' second album (his first for the
Smith
label),
Live at Billy Bob's Texas
is a curiously subdued live set.
Rogers
is that rarity, a
country
singer/songwriter
who records with his road band instead of the usual session musicians, which gives his albums a relaxed, rough-edged feel missing from the standard antiseptic Music Row product. But unfortunately, it also means that there's little difference between these live tracks and
' studio albums. Only the occasional whoop or slightly ill-timed cymbal crash differentiates some of the songs. More effective are tracks like
"Tonight's Not the Night,"
which
and band take a bit faster and with more passion than on the laid-back studio cut, and
"Again,"
a
co-write originally recorded by his songwriting partner
Cody Canada
's band
Cross Canadian Ragweed
that
turns into a fuzz-guitar-powered rocker. The set climaxes with an extended workout on
"Lost and Found,"
from
' debut, showcasing a series of solos brief enough to keep from devolving into tiresome showboating. Some more moments of spontaneity would make
a more exciting listen, but fans should appreciate it. ~ Stewart Mason