Dale Watson Album Review:
Dales Heart Beats for real Country at 2006-04-28
I could write an essay on Dale the man, and how respectfully he treats show-goers (unless you request Sweet Home Alabama - HA)! It seems that all the guys want to have a beer with him and all the gals want to go home with him. But keeping with this recording - MAN! You wont find any artist out there anywhere who is as consistently true to his roots and true to his respect for real country music as this guy. This CD is superb and I feel might be his best work yet. Its so very hard to top some of his previous releases, but if you were to mix a sampler of his music, many cuts from this CD would be at the top of the list. Dale is always primed for a great truckin tune, and No Help Wanted tops most of the songs from The Truckin Sessions CD. The way the instrumental arrangements are constructed on this CD invokes howls of Ray Price, Merle Haggard, and even Gary Stewart, but make no mistake, Dale Watson is very clearly defined by his voice, his storytelling, and the way his passion for real country music permeates the eardrums. I would recommend this CD to anyone who yearns for the real stuff. Its a genuine remedy for the Nashville rash.
Dale Watson Album Review:
Again, A Topnotch Album. at 2006-04-25
Everytime Dale cuts a new CD I think this is the best one yet. This time with Whiskey Or God hes really outdone himself. There is not one bad song on this CD. I got a chuckle on the cut Truckin Queen. This whole CD is based on Wine, women and song which is right up my alley. A must get CD for Dale Watson fans and/or hardcore country fans. This by far is one of the best CDs Ive bought in a long time Very well worth the price and more. You Will definately not regret buying this CD. Thanks again Dale and I sure hope youre NOT giving up writing and recording music. Youre the best out there. One more great CD to add to my collection. Keep up the good work. Guitar Bob Labbe Lawton, Ok.
Dale Watson Album Review:
Dale is the last Real Deal at 2006-07-28
Whiskey Or God is the leftover material from many earlier albums, but you would never know it given the strength of the songs. Only the variety of sounds will give you a clue to this. Once you hear Whiskey Or God you will thirst for all the earlier albums. It is a great samplier that stands on its own. Check it out and plan a trip to Austin, Texas to see the Real Deal live!!
Dale Watson Album Review:
Real Country at 2006-07-09
Dale Watson is a classic country musician who takes you back to the days before Country became pop music, artfully conceived and brilliantly executed. And AMAZING live.
Dale Watson Album Review:
That WHISKEY-Flavored Voice Is A Gift From GOD at 2006-06-09
Having followed Dale Watson for just his last three releases - starting with 2001s heart-rending EVERY SONG I WRITE IS FOR YOU, thru his upbeat Christmas disc and, finally, his bouyant 2004 effort, DREAMLAND - I may not be as qualified as some of the other reviewers who have posted their thoughts when it comes to deciding if this is his best lbum ever, but I know what I like, and I like Dale Watson! He truly is an original....theres a simple honesty to his lyrics and a unique blend of studly manliness and aching vulnerability to his vocals. That said, do I consider his latest WHISKEY OR GOD (retitled from the European HEEAH!! version) his best release yet? No, I dont; to me, theres an overall sense of filler to much of the disc, like a lot of these songs are exactly what Watson himself said they are...old songs that never made it on to other albums. Mind you, the CD is still very enjoyable....Im just holding it against what I consider to be the VERY high standards of ...YOU and DREAMLAND. Things kick off with the lilting Sit And Drink And Cry. Awash with pedal steel guitar and fiddle, Watsons confessional lead vocal is miserably upbeat - if such a thing is possible! - dancing over lyrics about how the world around you continues on, even after yours has come crashing down. A perfect album opener! Theres a little more steel in Watsons vocal on the discs title track, as he paints a picture of a man at the end of his rope, a man who knows he can only be saved by faith....or fluid. This is classic country, something you wont hear (sadly!) on todays radio playlists. Ditto I Dont Feel Lucky Today.....this swinging, swaying gem could easily be from the late 50s/early 60s (In fact, upon my first listen, my first thought was Man, Patsy Cline would have NAILED that song!). Watsons vocal is silky smooth, while Don Don Pawlaks pedal steel fills are once again perfectly placed. No Help Wanted is upbeat and pleasant enough, but it also seems some what dated and forced, like Watsons going for an everyman image that hes moved beyond and/or outgrown. For me, this is definitely one of the songs that scream FILLER! Not so My Heart Is Yours (Hell And Back), WHISKEY OR GODs emotional core. Based on its almost naked intensity and vulnerability, I would wager this is an outtake from the EVERY SONG....sessions. Whether thats the case or not, Id have to say its the Gods honest truth that this is one of Watsons Top Five all-time best songs! Wrapped up in a gorgeous, understated arrangement thats just drippping with emotion, Watsons vocal is honest and unadorned. Said vocal is perfectly suited for the tracks achingly raw, just-below-the-surface lyrics: Its easy to see girl/It still aint that strong/Its barely beating from being/Beaten for so long/Its been through hell and back/Its been broken and showing cracks/But its yours, my heart is yours. Stick that in your Stetson, Tim Chesney! Almost as good is the country swing of It Hurts So Good. This tale of a one night stand - and paying the price in the morning (Faking love/Faking romance/Doing things could be lovers think they should/Well get lost in the moment/Regrets come in the morning/Itll hurt tomorrow/But tonight itll hurt so good)- practically twirls you around the dance floor, and the proverbial wink-and-nudge in Watsons voice is absolutely infectious. Yep, another winner! Truckin Queen is fun in a Jim Stafford, novelty song kind of way, but its charms (and silliness) starts to wear thin after repeated listens. Once again, filler. Things rebound nicely with the easy-going, easy-flowing Darlin Look At Me Now. Musically crisp, lyrically smart, yet vague, you cant help but wonder....is the storyteller in a bar....or an asylum?!? Love can be a one way ticket to either destination! Capping the track off is a sterling lead vocal from Watson. I also really like Crazy Again, a stripped-down, bare-bones weeper. Punctuated by Jon Blondells muted trombone, this tale of insanity (You know they say I went crazy/And by crazy I mean mentally insane) is both captivating and heart-breaking. In a hushed, almost lazy, vocal, Watson makes a strong case for holding on to said insanity; it allows you to keep the present at bay, living in a past without pain, where there was no hurting. This is Watson at his best, another of WHISKEY OR GODs high points. I Aint Been Right, Since Ive Been Left has a glorious bayou groove to it, all Cajun fiddles and swampy energy. Watsons vocal is freer and less guarded than usual, which only adds to the party vibe. This style, along with the sexy TexMex of Tequila And Teardrops (dig those horns!), is something Watson should play around with more on future releases. Two more winners! 38..21..34 is another cute novelty song, albeit stronger than the others. Featuring some killer understated barroom piano and a sassy lead vocal, this track is fun, fun, fun, plain and simple! Outta Luck is classic Dale Watson (Im sure just about everyone would question the line Outta date, out of my prime, though!), while the discs closer, Heeah!!, is a novelty song with a point...that we all become our parents or, worse, the old man who lived down the road! So, all in all, while I personally dont consider WHISKEY OR GOD to be Dale Watsons best release, Ill gladly get on the bandwagon of fans who say its a welcomed addition to an already strong body of work! Oh....one last thing...I would have also kept the original European artwork. For me, the jeans, leather vest and black boots-clad Watson a top his bike is much more the person I hear singing these songs than the buttoned-up, uncomfortable-looking Watson pictured on the US release. But, once again, just my opinion! (As with all my reviews, Im giving the disc an extra half a star for including the lyrics)

Dale Watson Album Review:
Thank Gawd (for us) hes 30 years too late! at 2005-08-24
Dale Watson has giftwrapped the feel of the past with the genius of who he is today in Dreamland. You can start by comparing him to Merle Haggard, but you would be ill served to stop there. He takes all the best of Merle, Charley Pride, George Jones, and all the rest, but mixes it up with who he is as a songwriter, and most importantly -- a singer -- with few peers today. This is country crooning that hasnt been touched in over a quarter century.So that all explains why Dale kicks it, but the album itself is so crammed full of country goodness it makes my head spin every time I put it on. You can smell the beer-soaked bar coasters in every tune and wish on Leftys grave you were looking up from your suds to lock eyes with a halter-topped honkey-tonk honey during every steel guitar break.My prescription for heartache, love-sickness, or just an ordinary Friday night is a half-dozen listens of Dreamland, a 12-pack of Rolling Rock, and a lady who loves to two-step. Enjoy, and I challenge you not to smile from eartip to eartip.
Dale Watson Album Review:
Help Save Country Music at 2004-10-06
Dreamland is Dales best album in many years, and my personal favorite since Cheatin Heart Attack. If youve given up on country music because of the loathsome dreck thats coming out of Nashvegas these days, this album will bring you back into the fold. Dale Watson plays country music the way it should be played--honest, real, and loaded with tradition. This *is* your fathers country music, and thats a good thing if you like Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Webb Pierce, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb, George Jones, and all the other honky-tonk heroes of the early 60s. Dale Watson is one of a handful of artists (Wayne Hancock also comes to mind) who are truly dedicated to preserving the roots of country music.You should absolutely buy this album and, if at all possible, see Dale Watson play live. But I would also urge you to then take that extra step and convert those around you who have strayed. You know who Im talking about: your friend who went to see Kenny no-sleeves Chesney play at the County Fair, the guy you work with who shelled out $85 to take his girlfriend to see Tim McGraw at the megadome, the lady stopped at the traffic light with Shania Twain cranked up on the radio of her Suburban, the moron who *still* sings several verses of Friends in Low Places when hes had a few too many. These people are sick and they need help. This album is the perfect tonic for what ails them.
Dale Watson Album Review:
Watsons strongest LP to date at 2004-10-03
With Asleep at the Wheels Ray Benson helping crystallize his honky-tonk roots, Watsons turned out his strongest album to date. There are moments, like the cyclic front-line beat of Never Ever, that show Bensons swing influence, but mostly the producer just sharpens Watsons twangy guitar and two-steppin rhythms, and deftly places the singers baritone amid classic lines of fiddle and steel.Watsons new songs (he wrote or co-wrote all twelve tracks) take in the shuffles and ballads of Ray Price, south-of-the-border tinged Bakersfield twang, blues and even bluegrass. He no longer bashes Nashville in words, finding more pointed criticism in the traditional country music idiom: lyrics of love lost and taken away and the occasional bar-side celebration, intertwined with the cries of guitar, steel and fiddle.Its nothing new for Watson, whos long championed these sounds, but the alchemy brought to bear by his producer moves these recordings to the next level. The phased guitars and swelling steel lines of Dreamland add a dreamy quality to Watsons nocturnal memory of his late fiancýe, and the bluegrass harmonies of Fox on the Run and Pretty Girls showcase Watson in a new, lighter setting. Together with more traditional honky-tonk tunes, this is sure to greatly please Watsons fans and attract some new converts.
Dale Watson Album Review:
Out Of The Darkness And Into The Light at 2004-08-20
Having just discovered Dale Watson and his unique brand of Texas twang with his last release, 2001s heart-rendering EVERY SONG I WRITE IS FOR YOU, I was anxious to hear what he would do next. Well, DREAMLAND certainly doesnt disappoint! Many of the same elements that made EVERY SONG... so strong can still be found on the new disc - the uncluttered arrangements, the super-studly voice - but the vibe is totally different. This time around, the somber has been exchanged for the swingin. Opening up the disc is the gently swaying groove of Honky Tonkers Dont Cry. With equal parts tasty guitar, fiddle and piano, the track puts you in an instant good-time mind set, one that grabs you tightly throughout the rest of the album, refusing to let go! Awesome! Things are kicked up another notch with the swaggering Aint A Cow In Texas. Once again, the instrumentation is spot-on perfect, and a couple of Watsons ad-libs (Yeah...RIGHT!, Yeah, you KNOW ya love me, darlin!) make it clear what a good time hes having! Next up is the sweetly romantic Love At First Sight. Few men could sing such a basic, almost borderline sappy, song, but Watson delivers it in such an honest, unaffected manner that you cant help but love it! I Wish Youd Come Around is a tad bit melodramatic, but Watson lays down the track in a genuinely honest manner, resulting in a true classic country cut. Things take a 180 degree turn with the swinging California Wine. With wailing pedal steel, jaunty fiddle work and tinkling ivorys, the cut just dances out of the speakers. Add a totally authoritative lead vocal and you have one of DREAMLANDs best tracks! Another gem is the high-energy Never Ever. With an instrumental track that just makes you want to dance and universally relatable lyrics (Were in this thing together/So together well get burned/I guess well never ever/Never ever learn), the song allows the many sides of Dale Watson - tough, tender, forlorn, hopeful - to shine thru and, in so doing, come up with some great music. The discs title track is a sweeping ballad that features a soaring lead vocal from Watson. As the music lifts you out of your chair, transporting you to a place where dancing among the clouds doesnt seem all that far-fetched, you cant help but be moved when Watson lets us know that Here in the real world/I do alright/Eventhough youre not around. Fox On The Run (no, not the Sweet classic!) is a back porch, toe-tapping rave-up. Watsons strong lead vocal is beautifully augmented by pitch perfect harmony vocals, courtesy of Ricky Davis and Billy Donahue. Theres a swagger to Way Down Texas Way that some might find over the top, but if you just kick back and really let its sexy sensuality sink in, youll realize the songs (to quote the Beach Boys!)Fun! Fun! Fun! Theres an aching quality to the lovely She Dont Care that is simply heart-breaking. One of those songs where everything comes together - a beautiful vocal, great arrangement, smart lyrics (Well, a phone that doesnt ring/Makes a deafening noise) - She Dont Care is, without a doubt, one of DREAMLANDs key tracks. I Dont Rock No Cradle has a great country swing vibe going on, while the discs closer, Pretty Girls, ends things on an energetic high note. Once again, the tracks focal point is Watsons absolutely amazing lead vocal...why someone with such an incredible voice isnt bigger than he is is beyond me! Finally, as per all my 2004 release reviews, I do have to dock the disc half a star for not including the lyrics. But thats a minor point...do yourself a favor and visit DREAMLAND tonight!
Dale Watson Album Review:
How much steel guitar and fiddle can one take? at 2004-07-02
Speaking for myself, an absolute ton, and I get it all on this CD. The musicianship is utterly fantastic throughout and background vocals are just that, background. Theres none of the pop-sounding, over-harmonized vocals on this or any other Dale Watson album. I find it difficult to provide even a short list of favorite tracks let alone a single favorite. Like other reviewers, I think I Wish Youd Come Around is great. The meandering steel guitar throughout She Dont Care-- which it seems should really be called, You Dont Care-blends beautifully with Dales vocals. Aint a Cow in Texas and Love At First Site are just plain fun to listen to and sing along with. Thanks for another great country album, Dale.


Dale Watson Album Editorial:
Its Dale Watsons misfortune to flaunt a devotion to straight-no-chaser honky-tonk at a time when Nashville prefers its country with about as much kick as buttermilk. Indeed its tempting to imagine the response an album as solid and occasionally inspired as IDreamland would have received in the heyday of Merle Haggard and George Jones. With Asleep at the Wheels Ray Benson at the production helm Watsons hard edges are softened a bit on this 12-song collection but hes still got the perspective and pipes for putting across barroom laments that may be unsurpassed among his contemporaries. The conservational delivery of I Wish Youd Come Around and the masculine wistfulness of the title track are as stirring as they are effortless. Watson seems destined to haunt the fringes of country music where connoisseurs of hardcore honky-tonk gather to toast a master whos had the hard luck to come along a couple of decades too late to get his just rewards. Steven Stolder

Dale Watson Album Review:
Dale Watson Live - Honky Tonk From One Of The Best at 2002-07-13
Dale Watson fans waiting for new material should be fairly pleased with this release - the the majority of the album is new work, some self penned and some classic covers, along with previously recorded songs included here and there. .Highlights from the new material, for me are: Cant Be Satisfied, Aint That Livin, In The Jailhouse, Mamas Hungry Eyes, Bright Lights, Heart Of Stone, Turn Off The Jukebox, Break Your Own Heart and No Fussin, No Cussin. The only real clunker is Country My Ass - Dale IS preachin to the choir here, but the sermon is getting a bit long - hes already made his point about the sad state of todays mainstream country on his earlier songs, Real Country Song and Nashville Rash. He should have left it at that and saved the bitchin for the liner notes.This album isnt nearly as good as his first four - but that said, Dale Watson Live in London is still well worth a listen.
Dale Watson Album Review:
Domestic issue of barbwire-sharp UK live set at 2002-07-25
Recorded live in London in 2000, and originally released in Europe as a double CD, Audiums single disc is remastered from the original 24-track tapes, providing a half-dozen titles not present on the earlier issue. Particularly noticeable are the addition of A Real Country Song and Nashville Rash, adding extra gravitas to the shows critique of mainstream country music.Having been recorded two years ago, these tracks presents a snapshot of Watson before the death of his finacýe, his subsequent depression, and the musical exposition of his Every Song I Write For You CD. Recent interviews find Watson letting go of the stridency and anger that dominated songs like Country My Ass (as well as some of the stage patter), suggesting that explicit railing at the music industry may not be Watsons future.The nineteen selections (nearly 70 minutes) include new titles, highlights from Watsons catalog, and cornerstone covers of Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Wynn Stewart and Jimmie Rodgers (by way of Webb Pierce). Welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd, Watson and the band are in fine form as they move from Ray Prices jazzy steel guitar showcase, Bright Lights and Blonde Haired Women to the loping tempo of Cant Be Satisfied and two-step rhythms of Turn Off the Jukebox and Break Your Own Heart.The barbwire criticisms of contemporary country are certainly entertaining, and the homages to influences are heartfelt, but its Watsons own twangy, Texas-bred songs that drive his point all the way home.
Dale Watson Album Review:
Explicitly Hardcore Country Music. at 2002-08-17
Thats how Dale describes his own music. He further goes on to state, The music in this show contains lyrics about honky tonks, truck driving men, drink, cheatin, and other topics considered to be too provocative for todays candy-... Country Music. Hes right. This is REAL country music. This is the way country music is supposed to sound. Dale Watson isnt retro, hes not a throwback -- hes simply carrying on the fiery torch of pure country music as it was carried by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Merle Haggard. Dale is, of course, far too country for country radio; his first single release from this album, Country My @$$, has been unilaterally turned down by them (wonder why?). But Dale is more than just a banner for the survival of real country music -- Dale is a powerhouse of talent, a thundering voice, a phenominal writer, and a heck of a great guitar player. His small frame packs country music skill so gigantic it absolutely dwarfs the big names doing their fireworks at arena shows, selling their teenybopper bubblegum with their pecks and abs. Dale doesnt need fireworks -- he entertains with TALENT. This album is a marvelous recording of two live nights in London (where, sadly, hes FAR more popular than he is here in the States). If you love real country music, buy this. Youll order all the rest of his albums before the final track finishes spinning.
Dale Watson Album Review:
(real) country fan at 2005-02-01
this is my favorite cd of dales.this is not for tim mcgraw or kenny chessney fans.this is too country for those people.all of dales cds are great.my second favorite is i hate these songs.i hope this review can help more people discover how awsome dale is.
Dale Watson Album Review:
Solid, kickass country music! at 2002-09-05
I once had the good fortune to see Dale Watson play a show in Glasgow, Scotland, and the intensity and devotion of that UK crowd is ably reflected in this concert album, where the London fans hoot, holler and sing along to a brace of oldies and a slew of new originals. This is Watson in fine form, stripped down and honkytonk as all hell. He takes advantage of the concert album tradition to get a little dirty and cuss some, but mostly this is about Dale and his high-test ... band, who dont mess around for even a note or two. Authenticity is Watsons watchword: he opens the set up with his hick music anthem, A Real Country Song, reprises his version of the Jimmie Rodgers classic In The Jailhouse Now (which was also a highlight of a recent Webb Pierce tribute album), and thumbs his nose at Nashville with Country My Ass... He might not be subtle, but he sure is good. You cant hear solid country playing like this anywhere else but on a Dale Watson album. Highly recommended!


Dale Watson Album Editorial:
This live recording presents retro-country singer-songwriter Dale Watson in his ideal element: a rowdy little honky-tonk albeit one in England rather than Texas. Watson performs his fine originals (such as the tender You Are My Friend) as well as classic country covers by Merle Haggard Webb Pierce Wynn Stewart Ray Price and Johnny Cash in a boozy croon. Meanwhile his Lonestars lay down a relaxed groove that cranks the twang. Predictably nearly a quarter of the nights set list is devoted to praising country musics past (Legends) or more often pummeling its present (Country My Ass Nashville Rash Real Country Song). Some listeners may find this a little off-putting but the crowd at Londons Borderline roars and sings its approval--the album was originally titled IPreachin to the Choir/as Watson repeatedly builds then topples his favorite straw man. And no wonder: Watson may be a musical reactionary but he still rocks--oops make that Itwangs/the house from beginning to end. David Cantwell