Treasure Of Love
Thirty Tigers, 2021
9/10
The veteran rural rockers The Flatlanders are back after over a decade long hiatus from a new album, and they’ve made the wait worth it as Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock deliver a handful of gems packed with twang, harmony, humor and heartbreak.
“Moanin’ Of The Midnight Train” starts the listen with acoustic guitar and pedal steel laying the groundwork for a country spirited opener that’s rugged, melodic and embraces multiple electric guitars, and it isn’t long until the rootsy ideas of “Snowin’ On Raton” arrive, where warm acoustic guitar aligns with the expressive singing.
There’s 15 tracks present, most of which are covers, and each one is executed flawlessly. Some of the middle tracks are the best, and include the heartfelt Americana of “Give My Love To Rose”, while the title track will have you headed straight for the dance floor thanks to the honky tonk fun.
Closer to the end, the smooth country rock of “She Belongs To Me” is full of breezy songwriting, and “Mobile Blue” indeed brings a bluesy spirit to the infectious, twang friendly energy. “Sittin’ On Top Of The World” exits the listen, and lacks no chemistry as the trio offer soaring harmonica amid the frisky instrumentation that’s as wild as it is memorable.
An institution in the area of Americana, and quite possibly the first alt-country band, although they haven’t seen much commercial success in their 50 years as a band, The Flatlanders have produced nothing but substantial, timeless and precise song craft that sounds as great today as it did 10, 20, 30 etc. years ago.
Travels well with: The Jayhawks- XOXO; The Long Ryders- Psychedelic Country Soul