LaFave's roots are in Oklahoma, the birthplace of the original modern singer-songwriter, Woody Guthrie. Jimmy's sandpaper voice, however, is distinctively his own. His third CD finds the artist emerging from that trance, realizing he is no longer young and acknowledging burnout. LaFave longs to believe in the road and its mythology of redemption. Lafave surveys Newt Gingrich's America and realizes there's no romance left in poverty -just desperation.
Same assessment goes for religion, money and politics.
The final assessment is that there is nothing left to believe in but self, and the artist is not so sure about that. Musically, Lafave benefits from sticking with his own, road-hardened band instead of embellishing it with a lot of studio sideman. Randy Glineson bass and Chris Massey on drums. Only ringers are Debra Peters on piano and accordion and ubiquitous Austin fiddler Gene Elders. For all its virtues, the album leaves me questioning where Lafave goes after a CD that is mostly about dead ends.