Back To The Range Returns to Old Cowboy Tradition

If you listen real close to Doug Robert’s new CD you can almost taste the trail dust. If you kick back and lend and ear you might just see Charles Goodnight or Oliver Loving riding furiously across the plains or sleeping gently under the stars to the sounds of the dogies wailing.

The artists on the selection of cowboy tunes wanted to create a mood, a sense of the authentic and they did it…Songs of drovers and wranglers, bits and bridles…spurs a-jinglin’.

Included on the work are familiar pieces written by the likes of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry plus an insight into the lyrical, tough old cowpunchers who worked dawn to dusk then slept with the herd following the American Civil War and far into the 20th Century.

What do Hopalong Cassidy, the Cisco Kid and Yosemite Sam have in common? They were all fictitious inhabitants of the range. These were never the John Chisums depicted here. Do you tear up at the sight of a Fredric Remington and love the rodeo ? Is Tom Mix your hero? Buy this CD.

Starting off with Back to the Saddle Again and moving into the haunting The Goodnight Loving Trail it is apparent that the preservation of the cowboy culture is paramount. The old Ernest Tubb favorite Walking the Floor Over You while not exactly a cowboy tune, showcases Robert’s fine voice and Miles and Miles of Texas features the talents of Gary Cook on lead guitar and Matt Palmer on the fiddle.

My favorite Angels Can Do No More is backed up by Ridin’ the Rio and Cross the Brazos at Waco, all perfect examples of Americana that may be diminishing by the day. This collection saves a cherished bit of our history and with a little concentration one can conjure up the smell of horseflesh.

Rounding out the selections are two strong performances of the Doc Watson classic South of Round Rock, Texas and Running Gun by Tompall Glaser featuring Carl Johnson on pedal steel guitar, Ben Simpson on drums, Jeff Solon on harmonica and Mark Epstein on banjo.

Vocals and guitar provided primarily by Memphis born Roberts are enhanced by the harmonizing of Richard Lee Cody and Lisa Blue

According to the liner notes “This project grew out of a genuine love of traditional cowboy tunes and western music. The American cowboy is the greatest most recognized folk figure in the world…It’s our hope that we have honored their legacy…The lure and mystique of the Old West is as compelling today as when the historic cattle trails were first blazed…”

The CD was produced at Redcliff Sound Studio in Durango and can be purchased through by emailing DOUG@NEWWESTMARKETING.