Customer Reviews

Howling Trains & Barking Dogs

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I'll be honest with you...this is my least favorite album by Cindy Bullens since 1979's STEAL THE NIGHT. However....I also feel that HOWLING TRAINS AND BARKING DOGS is one of her most important releases, an album that NEEDED to be made.
Let me explain. Bullens' career has been sporadic at best, going from growling rocker (1978'S debut DESIRE WIRE and the aforementioned STEAL THE NIGHT) to a more mature popster (1989's CINDY BULLENS), then sequing into seasoned singer/songwriter territory, starting with 1999's classic SOMEWHERE BETWEEN HEAVEN & EARTH and continuing in 2001 and 2005 with NEVERLAND and DREAM #29.
Tossed into the mix were gaps of 10 years (twice, no less!), where Bullens just sort of disappeared to raise a family. The leap from STEAL... to CINDY BULLENS seemed natural enough, but the jump from that self-titled album to SOMEWHERE BETWEEN HEAVEN & EARTH always seemed a little bit....well, jarring, even given the circumstances behind SBH&E (the untimely death of her daughter Jessie).
Now it's much clearer...HOWLING TRAINS.... provides that much needed bridge. Most of the songs here were written between 1990 and 1995 ~ roughly a year after CINDY BULLENS to a year before Jessie's passing. You can now easily see the very natural progression and growth of a talented, honest songwriter.
Opening up the disc is the spirited "Love Gone Good." During the '70's and '80's California became famous for a hybrid known as Country Rock (think the Eagles, Ronstadt, Browne, etc.). Bullens flips it here...this is Rock Country. With fiddle and mandolin buzzing like lead guitars, a tight rhythm section and a sly, seductive lead vocsl, this is Bullens in top form. (Ditto David Mansfield, who's fiddling throughout the disc is just stellar!).
Up next is "Can't Stop This Train." With it's smokey lead vocal, understated guitar and blistering harmonica, well, let's just say this is another winner! Toss in some great lyrics ("Ain't no unnecessary extra baggage/We don't have to drag around the past/Well, it's good to travel lightly/Case your destination's changed"), and you have one of those tracks that just perfectly comes together in every way.
"In A Perfect World" represents a lot of what I find missing/lacking from the disc...it's a very nice song, but something's just...off. It's just too tame, too restrained. This song should soar...instead, it floats. I don't expect Bullens to belt it out on every tune, but this sounds...safe. And I have never known Cindy Bullens to play it safe.
"Labor Of Love" is another one that, while nice, just kind of sits there. Bullens and Radney Foster deliver a smooth duet, and the instrumentation is crisp, but there's no "WOW!" moment. I guess I've just come to expect a filler-less album from Bullens, and that's what "Labor Of Love" is...filler.
With all the artists currently mangling various genres this year, it's nice to hear something with some real SOUL. More delicate, more hushed, more internal than the version on The Refugees' 2009 UNBOUND disc, "All My Angels" is sheer vocal perfection. Quite possibly Bullens' best vocal...EVER! Abso-frickin'-lutely gorgeous!!
While I love both of the next two tracks, I also can't help but feel that neither cut really reaches it's full potential. "Whistles And Bells" has a nice Western swing vibe to it, and Bullens' lead vocal is spot-on, but it's just a tad bit too relaxed....instead of loping along, this track should have BOPPED!! An A+ song that winds up a strong B.
Ditto "I Didn't Know"...with it's rockabilly-tinged edge and boogie-woogie piano, this is a true blue Bullens rocker. However, both the arrangement and vocal seem reined in....this should have been "Finally Rockin'" (from DESIRE WIRE) all grown up! Another example of a good song that could have been great. (I could SO see Rosie Flores covering this song!).
"Everywhere And Nowhere" has such a lovely, gentle melody to it...what can I say, other than it's breathtaking. The instrumentation is muted and subdued, yet powerful, while Bullens' lead vocal is just gut-wrenchingly touching. Toss in killer lyrics ("I've seen the night and heard the lonesome sound/Of one heart beating alone without the other/I guess life goes on/Even when love dies") and you have an instant classic. (In this case, I think Reba, Faith or Martina could nail this gem!).
"Let Jesus Do The Talking" has it all ~ great imagry, an amazing melody, tons of attitude. Bullens delivers it perfectly....with a wink and a nudge. And yet, as good as it is, I can't help but feel this song is more tailor-made for the likes of Miranda Lambert or Carrie Underwood (i.e. younger), both of whom I think could have a HUGE hit with this song.
(Hmmmmm...I see a growing trend here....maybe these songs were originally written with others in mind, thus muffling Bullens' normal exuberance).
There's no denying that "The Misty Hills Of Tennessee" is lovely, but there's also something forced about, like trying to shove a square peg into a round hole. Bullens has delivered some great ballads and mid-tempo numbers in the past, particularly in the last decade or so, but this track just partially works. Bob Colwell and Wendy Waldman provide some great backing vocals, and David Mansfield once again shines on fiddle, but i can't help but feel that Bullens is playing dress-up on this cut.
The disc closes with the haunting "Good At Being Gone." Bullens' vocal is wonderfully worn and weary, but once again I can't help but wonder how this song would sound if someone else ~ say, Kris Kristofferson, Tim McGraw, Trace Atkins or even John Mellencamp ~ were to cover it.
So, yes....I do feel that HOWLING TRAINS AND BARKING DOGS is Cindy Bullens' weakest album in 30+ years, but only because I can't help but feel that she has moved SO far beyond most of these songs. That said, A) there are still some really nice moments here, and B) I'm glad she recorded this album...it's a huge eye opener as to how she got to where she is today. Now that she's looked back, though, I can't wait to see what's ahead. (As with all my reviews, I'm docking the disc an additional half a star for not including the lyrics...shame on you, Cindy!!).