Dear Texas
C-Side, 2020
9/10
The Austin residents Golden Bear are back with a love letter to their home state, as the appropriately titled Dear Texas has all members recording parts in their own homes during quarantine for this very careful and heartfelt 5th album.
“Port Aransas” starts the listen with a calm guitar line and smooth vocals before entering a fuller country rock setting of warm melodies amid a sing-along quality, and “Mustang Mile Island” follows with a gentler pace of agile and reflective rootsy rock.
At the halfway point, “Roadtrippin’” indeed should be played loud while driving down the highway with its punchy rock’n’roll spirit that embraces Americana, while “Two-Wheeled Hoss” trims the landscape back with deep vocals and a more firm country approach. “Texas Highway”, a particularly noteworthy tune, then recruits pedal steel in the introspective and playful climate that’s so well executed, it alone is worth the price of admission.
“CB Workin’” and “Fort Davis Sky” exit the listen, where the former recruits frisky percussion alongside the rural melodies, and the latter simmers gently, with Jonah Pennington’s Spanish guitar adding much to the sublime landscape.
Golden Bear have been at it since 2002, and they’ve dabbled in many genres during their existence. Here, they’re firmly in Americana territory, and even if you’re not as big a fan of The Lone Star State as Golden Bear, you’re going to have hard time not enjoying these flawlessly crafted gems.
Travels well with: Great Peacock- Forever Worse Better; Sadler Vaden- Anybody Out There?