Lost Highway Saloon
His throbbing, operatic voice and hard shuffles--not to mention his seemingly intimate knowledge of the contours of a barstool--have long made Johnny Bush the king of the Texas dance halls, and this record plays to those strengths. He booms out big ballads ("When It's Your Turn to Fall") and swings smartly ("Maybe, Maybe Not"). He not only provides a heartbreaking version of the 1962Jim Reeveshit "Pride Goes Before a Fall," but follows it with an obscure, equally strong "answer" song, "So This Is the Fall (That Pride Goes Before)." Mix in some classic country wisdom in "Hands Can Say a Lot Beneath the Table," a hanging ballad in "They're Hanging Me Tonight," and a swinging throwback inCornell Hurd's "Home to Texas," and you've got a rock-solid album that's neither retro not alt, but will teach lessons to fans of both while pleasing the old-line country fan too.--John Morthland