Various ARTISTS
Dancehall Dreamin': A Tribute to Pat Dark-green
Greenhouse Music

Although Dancehall Dreamin'may be the first official multi-artist salute to the man's music on record, it's not going that far overboard to say that the Texas independent land scene as nosotros know today it is itself sort of a tribute to Pat Green. About of the things that people loved about his showtime few records around the millenial turn are withal prevalent in the modernistic version of Texas country: relatable storytelling, raucous good vibes, some earnest name-dropping, and a streak of outlaw independence leavened by well-meaning-college-bro kindness. Some of the arguable "sins of the begetter" still resonate, besides; information technology can go a little repetitive, a lilliputian solipsistic, and some of the flirtations with Nashville don't quite pan out. Whatsoever your criticisms of Pat Green (and so or now) might exist, at least he tin merits something resembling start dibs, translating his reverence for Robert Earl Keen and Jerry Jeff Walker into something new for his own generation. In the procedure, he helped open upward a new career path for songwriters and musicians who didn't want or demand the mainstream machine to get their songs heard. It's non his error if some lesser artists jumped on his bandwagon, or if a whole region'south generation of country and country-ish artists were lumped in with him for marketing purposes.

Merely it's much to his credit that many of the genre'south flagship artists all the same tip their hats to Green, even if it became sort of (unfairly) unfashionable to do so around the time of the attempted pilgrimage to the mainstream heralded by his biggest striking, "Moving ridge on Wave." That 1's handled capably and appropriately on Dancehall Dreamin'by Jack Ingram, an old running buddy who knows a thing or two near having to balance commercial pressures and creative concerns. Old friends Walt Wilkins and Cory Morrow are on board too, making standout contributions of their own.  Wilkins generously avoids the obvious joke of roofing one of his many own songs that Green covered in the past and instead offers up a sweet, fully-realized take on "Washington Avenue." Morrow, Green's closest compadre from their respective heydays, makes one of the anthology's more ambitious moves by reimagining "Adios Days" equally slightly spaced-out folk rock, a departure creative enough to spark interest in whatever original project he's got coming up adjacent.

A tribute album that was all Greenish's peers would've been an intriguing prospect, but at that place'south some relative youngsters on hand equally well. William Clark Green's take on "Wrapped" has enough simmer and grit to make for a solid opener, and John Baumann's wearisome-burn down take on "Nightmare" accentuates the song'southward humilty and reverence. Arguably the biggest of-the-moment marquee names on hand — the Randy Rogers Band ("Three Days"), the Josh Abbott Ring ("Take Me Out to a Dancehall"), and Aaron Watson ("Crazy") — all come off spirited and pleasant enough, not irresolute much from the originals aside from their distinctive vocal phrasing. Each vocalizer is arguably a more gifted singer than Greenish in terms of range and tone, simply the feeling that they don't quite outshine the writer's take on the material is testament to the unique charisma of Green's delivery.

The only real left-field entry here, in terms of probably minimal fanbase overlap, is Americana standout Drew Holcomb, whose minimalist finger-picked take on "Dancehall Dreamer" is a reminder that Green's more than thoughtful numbers fare merely fine exterior of a beer-soaked rager.  Kevin Fowler's closing take on "Southbound 35" swings a bit also hard in the opposite direction; on his own albums, Fowler oft blends difficult-stone riffs with honky tonk vocals to expert outcome, merely the breezy subject matter here just doesn't mesh with the pounding, metallic riff underpinning information technology.

Given Green's knack for spotlighting female artists with duets on his ain albums, it would've been nice to have at least one female artist in the mix, and some more stylistic departures (successful or otherwise) might've bumped upward the interest factor here. Merely the album's a solid mind overall, and information technology's heartening to see a tribute album honor an artist who'southward not only alive and well only still young enough himself to capitalize on it.— MIKE ETHAN MESSICK

LSM-GetItNow-large--copy