Did you ever think you could two-step to Loudon Wainwright’s early-’70s novelty hit “Dead Skunk”? Dallas-area honky-tonker Ed Burleson speeds it up, adds pedal steel and fiddle, and turns it into a Texas swing jam that, in a just world, would be on every jukebox right next to “Cotton-Eyed Joe”.
Burleson’s fourth album picks up where 1999′s appetite-whetting My Perfect World left off. The previous effort was produced by Burleson’s then-manager, the late Doug Sahm, who left some mighty big boots to fill. But longtime Dallas honky-tonk singer-songwriter Tommy Alverson does an admirable job, keeping the emphasis on Burleson’s aw-shucks vocals and the undeniable explosive twang of his band.
Burleson has what it takes to get Texas music across the Red River and into the mainstream, as evidenced by the traditional country sparkle of “Honky-Tonk Heart”, “If You Wanna Go (Just Go)” and “Heart Break Highway”. While the outright bluegrass of the title cut and the foot-stomping good times of “I Can’t Help Myself” are also highlights, the cut that rings in the ears days after is “All Bucked Up”, a twang-perfect send-up of the Bakersfield sound with whimsical lyrics: “Well, I wrote this song myself and it’s all bucked up/It’s the kind of song you like to listen to when you’re riding in a pickup truck.” He got that right, but you don’t need an F-150 to want to sing along.
