Night Tide
Any retro band faces a conundrum: the risk that their original songs will pale next to the oldies they interpret. Such is the case with Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys. After a strong HighTone debut (Jumping from 6 to 6) and follow-up (Swingin' West), they began to vacillate. Both a solo doo-wop effort from Sandy (Dedicated to You) and aFly-Rite Boys instrumental albumwere outstanding, but now the past three full-group albums have faltered under the weight of weak original material. Robert (Big Sandy) Williams's relaxed, sincere vocals and the guitar-steel duo of Ashley Kingman and Lee Jeffriess remain the band's heart and soul. Yet try as he might, Williams's songwriting, exemplified here by "Tequila Calling," "I Think of You," and seven others, has yet to rise beyond a beginner's level. More puzzling is the listlessness that permeates the entire record, even the two instrumentals ("In the Steel of the Night" and "South Bay Stomp") and a cover of Texas Western Swing icon Cliff Bruner's "My Time Will Come Someday." It's depressing to hear such undeniable talent continue to create albums so utterly mundane.--Rich Kienzle