Various Artists,
Ten In Texas



Label: Icehouse Music

(3½ out of 5)

Icehouse Music puts an interesting twist on the Texas music compilation album concept with Ten In Texas. Rather than just gather existing tracks, the Houston-based Americana label brought in Ray Benson to produce new recordings that feature contemporary Texas musicians covering songs from legendary Texas songwriters.

If anyone knows Texas music, it's Benson. Sure, he may hail from Pennsylvania, but he's called the Lone Star State home for the last three decades. And as leader of Asleep at the Wheel, he has worked diligently to keep alive the Western swing tradition of Bob Wills and the Light Crust Dough Boys, among others.

Studio help comes from Lloyd Maines and Asleep at the Wheel bandmates Jason Roberts, John Michael Whitby, and David Sanger, among others. Benson recorded all the studio tracks (a token Willie Nelson live recording of "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys" bucks the trend at the album's end) at his own Bismeaux Studio. So there's a certain musical stability throughout the album.

But while the music is pleasant enough, it's the vocals that take center stage on Ten In Texas.

Texas women steal the show — especially Texas women with the blues. Carolyn Wonderland's "Honky Tonk Heroes" (Billy Joe Shaver) features raspy growls and soulful scats that would have made Janis Joplin proud. Ruthie Foster's barrelhouse funk take on "Texas Cookin'" (Guy Clark) provides another highlight. But it's not all about the blues. Terri Hendrix's "Cowboy" (Betty Elders) is quieter and more vulnerable in its outlook on love, but equally stirring.

Texas men make up the bulk of the contributions, and they represent a limited range of styles: country/pop with Aaron Watson's "True Love Ways" (Buddy Holly), country/honky tonk with Dale Watson's "The Grand Tour" (George Richey, Norro Wilson, C. Taylor), country/folk with Joe Ely's "Sunday Morning Coming Down" (Kris Kristofferson).

But you get the picture — each of the men's contributions is country, first and foremost. The male artists simply don't represent the stylistic range of their female counterparts. There's no one to match the bluesy Foster, the soulful Wonderland, or the ingenuous Hendrix.

If you aren't familiar with some of the singers or the songwriters they cover, Ten In Texas boasts a wondrous set of liner notes, notable both for their vibrant design and for their informative bio sketches.

With its consistent sound and vocals running from sufficient to superb, Ten In Texas stands out from the crowd of Texas music compilations.

Buy Ten In Texas from Lone Star Music for only $14.99.

August 23, 2005