Southbound Lane out of Dallas Texas is another great Lone Star treasure in the style of Mickey and the Motorcars and Jason Boland & the Stragglers.
On Every Road is Different they show off their Texas musical stylings in grand form. Sounding a bit like Old 97s on their uptempo numbers and a bit like fellow Texan Robert Earl Keen on their ballads, the cummulative effect is like finding a lost "On the Border" era Eagles album. Of course, there's the obligatory song about Texas in "Waco" where they recount the simple joys of living on a shoestring budget in college. "All Your Fault" is a great uptempo, banjo driven tune that's lyrically reminiscent of the Eagles' "Already Gone." Both the lyrics and the music on this ablum show great diversity, exploring life's ups and downs with keen insight punctuated with irresistable rhythms perfeclty timed to suit the mood. The storytelling really shines in "Roger Dale" and "Hero." In "Roger Dale," they explore the lasting impact of seeking vengeance singing, "My mother raised him, but he wasn't her son, he was her brother and now she's got none." In "Hero," they pay heartfelt tribute to a fallen soldier. Without getting political or patriotic, they deal openly and honestly with the loss and grief, yet proud remembrance of a true hero: "He said fightin' for your country is something inside you, it's really not something you choose." And as life unfolds before us, we often wonder how much of it is based on our choices and how much is fate. And in the end the best we can do is just do our best, and enjoy all life has to offer as we cruise down that Southbound Lane.
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