Review - Lost Dogs - Real Men Cry

Lately I have really enjoyed their albums but in this period right after Gene died and they were refinding the mojo they had just found. 1992, eh? That couldn't have been all that long ago.

* * * * * Lost Dogs was formed when the leading members of four pioneering yet obscure alternative bands got together to rediscover the roots of rock and roll, resulting in 1992's Scenic Routes, a hodgepodge of musical styles running from country to gospel to blues to rock to alternative. Three more albums brings us to the release of last years Gift Horse and the passing away of member Gene Eugene, leaving many to wonder if he would be replaced, who would replace him, who could replace him, or if The Lost Dogs would even continue. Legally binding record contracts being what they are, The Lost Dogs have continued, sans replacement.

Being this is their first album as a three-piece (plus the usual ragtag of rhythm section players), it's somewhat fitting that album is quite reminiscent of the Merle Haggard-Johnny Cash feel of the very first Lost Dogs album. While Gift Horse unabashedly country with twang, this one runs the stylistic gamut, although not as much as their 1996 release Green Room Serenade. One of the joys in having four, er, three strong song writers in a group is each member has their turn at bat but as in last years release, Terry Taylor wrote nearly every song, resulting in a more uniform tone but one that is not as nearly as adventurous or as fun as it could be. Still, they take turns on vocals and guitars, including the copious vocal harmonies. Even for one such as myself who abhors the twangy end of country music, there are lots of well-written gems that are sure to be ignored by the general public. Mike Roe croons the effective ballad of a title track in a gentle tenor voice and later does his best Gene Eugene impersonation on the touching "In The Distance". "The Legged Dog" is a rollicking, humorous song about a dog (band?) that has "a few miles left." "Dust on the Bible" is appropriately of the gospel genre while "Certain Love" is an upbeat alternative country song spouting lyrics such as "I had a dream but it fell apart/ A trusted friend who broke my heart." True to form, the songs are sweet and sad, describing losses, loneliness and regret but always with a flicker of hope. While not my favorite Lost Dogs album, there is a definite charm and earnestness to these "sung from the heart" songs, a joy in being alive despite life's hardships and pains that makes this album a keeper.

This review first appeared in WhatzUp, October 2001.

Review - The Lost Dogs - Gift Horse

Oh, how I miss new music from Gene Eugene...

* * * * *

Take four alternative music pioneers (Terry Taylor of Daniel Amos, Derri Daugherty of The Choir, Gene Eugene of Adam Again, and Mike Roe of 77s), throw them into a studio for a few weeks, shake gently, and out comes... a country album? Originally a side project, the Lost Dogs have released their fourth studio album, Gift Horse. While the intent of these albums has always been to hearken back to their musical roots, never has a Lost Dogs album been so country and western. Previous releases included 50s rock, bluegrass, alternative ballads, and even a novelty song but this album is unabashedly grounded in country. As always, the songs tell tales, such as "A Vegas Story" about a gambling addict selling his life for "free drinks and a dream" while "Rebecca Go Home" is a touching, sad song about innocence lost. "Diamonds to Coal" is a straight-ahead rocker while "If You Loved Here..." is an all-out hick hootenanny! "Loved and Forgiven" breaks from the general feel slightly with more of a Beach Boys/ 77's vibe in the chorus but overall, the album is much more cohesive in content and feel than previous albums.

Which is the main problem with this album. Yes, the songwriting is solid and yes, the vocal harmonies are amazing but while in past albums each "dog" brought a number of songs to the table, on this album Taylor wrote all the songs. All of them good songs, mind you, but it is the unique chemistry between these four fantastic artists that has been the real draw of Lost Dogs. Plus it's about the only time you get to hear one or two new songs from Gene Eugene, one of the best songwriters alive, since Adam Again has been on hiatus for the last half-decade... and this time there were no songs by Eugene. So yes, the songs are excellent, winning over even such an anti-country music people as myself and my brothers, but Lost Dogs raised the bar so high on previously albums that Gift Horse is more like a well groomed show pony than the Kentucky Derby winner fans have come to expect.

This review first appeared in WhatzUp, March 2000.

CD Review - The Lost Dogs - Old Angel

I'm still not 100% sure of where this album lands in my personal collection. I like it more every time I hear it, which makes it a grower. But it's a slow grower. I definitely appreciate that all the members are writing the songs instead of just Terry. Nothing against Mr. Taylor but The Lost Dogs was conceived as a collaborative effort and in the past its fallen away from this ideal.



Two years ago The Lost Dogs piled into a van and drove the length of Route 66, starting in Chicago and ending up at the Santa Monica Pier. Along the way, they stopped at failing diners, truck stops and mom-and-pop stores, setting up and giving free concerts. Joining them on this trip was a newfangled GPS system that allowed fans to track their progress online and in real time, giving those fans an inside glimpse at the band and each wrong turn and lead-footed move. It was a great (vicarious) ride. Too bad you missed it.

Having logged all those hours behind the wheel, the band wrote scads of songs about the journey. Real songs about real people and real places. Places from the glory days of Route 66 that you can find on Google Earth, but you’d best be quick because these non-corporate businesses tend to become ghosts overnight. Presented in the form of Old Angel, The Dogs’ ninth release, these songs capture the tone of this trip, ranging from “it seemed like a good idea at the time” silly (“American Main Street”) to somber moments of longing for times past (“Desert Flowers”). They pay tribute to Wild Bill Hickok in the rocking “Wicked Guns” and humbly ask for safety while on the road with the gentle “Traveling Mercies.”

Throughout the album, the boys couch these Americana songs in a subdued rock vibe and assorted countrified instruments such as fiddles, mandolins and pedal steel. This approach ensures that these songs won’t fit into the preset playlist of any local radio station, though, like the ghost of a road they traveled upon, the tunes would have been gobbled up by the long-gone album format of decades past.

The album highlights are legion. “Dancin’ on the Devil’s Elbow” opens with rhythmic sawing (not one of those newfangled musical saws but a real saw creatively working its way through a piece of real wood) before becoming a joyous remembrance of friends meeting in a restaurant in Missouri. “Pearl Moon” opens with quiet acoustic guitars, recalling Hooverville camps with lyrics like “Does hunger have a lesson to teach?”

Then come the stark realities of life when one of the vocalists passionately sings “And our babies died” while trying to cross the desert. I mention “one of the vocalists” because three of the members sing, often joining their voices for rich vocal harmonies but nowhere as effectively as they do in “The World is Against Us,” a track in which they combine to create a sound worthy of the best of Crosby, Stills and Nash. “Dead End Diner” tells the story of a dying diner through the eyes of a waitress who, despite cutbacks in hours and reduced benefits, finds hope in both a regular who she’s “almost sure that he ain’t gay” and Obama making promises on the radio.

The best track is perhaps their remake of Daniel Amos’ “Glory Road,” a tune that originally appeared on an album chronicling the journey of a fictitious older couple as they took their final vacation on, yep, Route 66. The original song, though charming, was all elbows. This time out the Dogs ironed out the kinks while retaining the charm, forming an absolute masterpiece of a rocker in the process.

As much as I like it now, Old Angel continues to grow on me with each listen. The songs speak of dusty roads and deep friendships that have weathered the years, of lonely times and intoxicating celebrations. The Lost Dogs are four stellar songwriters and lyricists, packing in well over 100 years of experience, and these are some of the best songs you may never hear. Route 66 may have become neglected. It would be a pity to neglect Old Angel as well.