Country Music Without Boundaries

Fresh off their #1 hit on the Texas music charts we have Honeybrowne, a quartet out of Austin. Their new release is fairly typical Texas fare, which is to say it’s better than mainstream country.

Kicking off Mile By Mile is Help Me Find My Way Home, which gives the album a great opening. By the chorus you’ll be hooked on Honeybrowne’s music. Yesterday’s News follows, which is slightly more of a rocker — if you like Reckless Kelly, you’ll enjoy this. Good sound. The group mellows out with the title song, Mile By Mile, but so far three songs into the album we have three winners.

Love Wanted could have been recorded by Lonestar (except Lonestar would have given it a lot more of a pop sound). Nonetheless, would be fairly typical if it were coming out of Nashville; coming out of Austin it’s simply not that good. The group gets back on track with Left Me A Mess, which reminds me of lyrics Rodney Crowell would have written with its observations of regular life on the downside. A touch of honky tonk comes in on Bowling Green, a bouncy song across Kentucky. Trouble’s Got a Thing For Me isn’t quite up to the rest of the material on the album.

Personal Lullabye is not what you’d expect from a lullabye with its strong beat. Very listenable, but it might not put you to sleep. The weakest song on the album is Line, Sinker & Hook, a cute idea gone awry. The album closes strong with their recent #1 Texas hit, Put That Ring Back On Your Finger.

Songs added to Goodtime Country Radio rotation — Help Me Find My Way Home, Yesterday’s News, Mile By Mile, Left Me A Mess, Bowling Green, Put That Ring Back On Your Finger.

The Texas music scene is worth checking out if you like country music but are unhappy with the pop/bad 80s music sound coming out of Nashville. Honeybrowne will show you what the music is all about. Four stars, easy.