Fair & Square

About

Fifteen years after debuting with the Flatlanders, Jimmie Dale Gilmore ended his hiatus from recording with <i>Fair & Square</i>. Though his bandmates Joe Ely and Butch Hancock were better known because of their successful solo careers, Gilmore was always the trio’s beating heart. His tender aura permeates <i>Fair & Square</i>, though the album is much more rocking than any of his Flatlanders recordings. Backed by a couple of pickup bands comprised of top-notch Austin musicians, Gilmore relishes the roadhouse rockabilly of “99 Holes,” “All Grown Up” and “Singing the Blues.” Most of the songs were written by Gilmore’s Texas peers, including Townes Van Zandt and David Halley, as well as Hancock and Ely (who also produced the album). Gilmore’s warm warble always makes the up tempo songs more than just barstool rock ‘n’ roll, but his essence is contained in the acoustic numbers. The title track might be the most even-keeled country breakup song ever written, but the real heartbreaker is “Rain Just Falls,” which echoes all of the windswept tenderness of the early Flatlanders.

via Apple Music