Dale Watson - Dreamland

Artist:

Watson, Dale

UPC:

684038980321

See Also:

Yoakam, Dwight Earle, Steve Brown, Junior Lovett, Lyle

Description:

Personnel includes: Dale Watson, Ray Benson, Lloyd Maines, Ralph Mooney, Cindy Cashdollar, Redd Volkaert.
Personnel: Dale Watson (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Dale Watson (guitar); Redd Volkaert (electric guitar, background vocals); Cindy Cashdollar (dobro); Floyd Domino (piano); Gene Kurtz (electric bass); Scott Mathews (drums); Ray Benson (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Jason Roberts (electric guitar, fiddle, background vocals); David Sanger (drums).
Recording information: Bismeaux Studio, Austin, TX.
Photographer: Nancy Lee Andrews.
Arranger: Dale Watson.
A natural-born honky tonk genius who`s had the poor fortune of being born in the wrong decade, Dale Watson is the closest thing to Merle Haggard country music has produced since the late `70s, and his rough-hewn cry-in-your-beer style is as sincere as the day is long. For his seventh studio album, Watson has teamed up with another Texan with a fondness for country & western`s noble past, Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, and though Dreamland sounds a bit more polished than Watson`s best work, Benson certainly understands Watson`s approach, and they make a pretty good team for these sessions. If there`s a flaw in Dreamland, it`s not so much Benson`s work as that of engineer Chris Burns, who gives the proceedings a slick, digital sheen that doesn`t quite mesh with the material. Also, Watson has moved the emphasis from his harder-edged material to songs with a less flinty approach. But Watson himself has rarely sung with greater strength and confidence, he`s written some terrific songs (favorites include "Pretty Girls," "Honky Tonkers Don`t Cry," and "I Wish You`d Come Around"), and Benson has rounded up a great set of pickers to back him up, including Redd Volkaert, Ralph Mooney, and Cindy Cashdollar. If the result isn`t hardcore honky tonk, it`s still honky tonk through and through, and it`s an album that`ll sound great in a beer hall as you knock back cold ones on a Friday night. I`d advise Benson to hire Ray Kennedy to man the boards for their next session with Dale Watson, but otherwise Dreamland is a step in the right direction. ~ Mark Deming

Track Listing:

DISC 1

1. Honky Tonkers Don`t Cry
2. Ain`t a Cow in Texas
3. Love at First Sight
4. I Wish You`d Come Around
5. California Wine
6. Never Ever
7. Dreamland
8. Fox on the Run
9. Way Down Texas Way
10. She Don`t Care
11. I Don`t Rock No Cradle
12. Pretty Girls

Album Information

Release Date:

04/27/2004

Type:

Performer

Genre:

Country

Subgenre:

Honkytonk

Label:

Koch Records (USA)

Producer:

Ray Benson; Ray Benson

Catalog Number:

9803

Original Release Year:

2004

# of Discs:

1

Studio/Live:

Studio

Mono/Stereo:

Stereo

Guest Artist:

Ray Benson; Redd Volkaert; Ralph Mooney

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