Palo Duro Records

Review by Dave Fennesssy;

Contributed by Jeffrey Sisk, Managing Editor of The McKeesport Daily News

THE DERAILERS, “Under the Influence of Buck” (PaloDuro) 4 1/2 — The title of the Derailers’ eighth album would seem to be a restatement of the obvious, given that a mutual love of country music legend Buck Owens and his Buckaroos is what first brought the band together more than a decade ago.

But with Owens’ death last year inspiring an inevitable run of re-releases and tributes — Dwight Yoakam’s own paean to the King of Bakersfield, Calif., “Dwight Sings Buck,” drops in October — who better to lead the charge than the guys who cut their stage teeth by covering the Buckaroos’ impressive string of country and crossover hits? Certainly few do it better or with more authenticity.

The clean, crisp electric cowboy guitar and staccato pedal steel that characterized Owens’ trademark Bakersfield sound are well-served in the Derailers’ hands.

And not only on familiar fare such as “I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail,” “Cryin’ Time,” “Together Again” and “My Heart Skips a Beat,” but on lesser-known classics “Down on the Corner of Love” and “Who’s Gonna Mow Your Grass” as well. The latter especially is well-chosen, with its Mersey-beat percussion and chord progressions, elements that invited comparisons to the Beatles when Owens was pioneering his maverick country style in the 1960s.

You need not be an Owens fan to enjoy the Derailers’ interpretation of his work, but be warned: You may become one if you give “Under the Influence” a spin. (Dave Fennessy)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 25th, 2007 at 8:24 am and is filed under Derailers, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.