Missing Years

Little Texas | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 12, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Montage Music Group
• ASIN: B000Q66HB4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,464 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Country Is Getting Back Where It Should Be, June 20, 2007

By 

David Walls (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Missing Years (Audio CD)

I have to agree with the last reviewer, this album is awesome, the songs are written cleverly and the melodies just sound amazing. There is really no country band that can harmonize as well as a group than Little Texas. I have been a fan of theirs since their first album and I am glad to see some of the 90's artists making a comeback. I have recently added this album, Daryle Singletary's new album, Tray Lawrence and Ty Herndon's new offering to my collection. It is a shame that country radio is just receptive to all the popular acts, I am getting tired of Kenny Chesney's beach music and Toby's rebel, funny lyrical music, don't get me wrong I still like them but I am ready for some great 90's artists to keep resurfacing. Little Texas's new album has substance and meaning. I find their music and Porter's voice a little like Hilljack, which is an awesome group in its own right. In fact 'Texas 101' was written by Johnny Slate, Hilljack lead singer Paul Jefferson and Porter Howell, so it has been used on two albums and is a great "Texas" song. Support more 90's Country Artists and go buy this Great CD. You won't be disappointed. Hopefully more 90's artists like Blackhawk and Bryan White will release new albums in the near future.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!!!, June 20, 2007

By 

Annette Elens - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Missing Years (Audio CD)

Anyone who is saying this CD isn't good because it doesn't have Tim or Brady on it is just crazy!! This is the best CD they have ever released. Porter sounds so much better then Tim. Brady didn't even do lead vocals that much and he isn't that big of a loss and the same for Tim. It's a shame this music isn't getting the air play with radio. It's a big loss for country listeners. I don't know about everyone else but I'm sick of radio just playing only the "top 10" over and over. There is so much more out there. Most of it sounds better then what is being played!! Good job Little Texas!! I love the song The Reason and Party Life.....and I could just keep going because every song on this disc is great!!!

4.0 out of 5 stars '90s country hitmakers regroup and come back strong, June 16, 2007

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Missing Years (Audio CD)

As a sextet, Little Texas had eighteen country hits throughout the '90s, their greatest success coming in the first half of the decade. The group's first run ended with 1997's "Little Texas" and was followed a seven-year hiatus. They reappeared in 2004 with Steven Troy replacing Tim Rushlow on vocals, and returned to touring. Troy left in 2006 and lead guitarist (and founding group member) Porter Howell stepped up to the microphone. Now operating as a quartet, with Howell joined by fellow founders Dwayne O'Brien on vocals and guitar, Duane Propes on vocals and bass, and Del Gray on drums, they've cut their first album in a decade.

Howell's an appealing lead vocalist, singing with a huskiness and geniality that brings to mind Jack Ingram. He's a winning center point for harmonies that are not as beholden to the Eagles as the band's earlier work. The instrumental sound is also a touch more modern, dropping the processed guitars of the '90s in favor of a twangier contemporary country sound. Generous amounts of steel and mandolin give this a rootsier feel than the band's previous albums.

Even with the changes, this still sounds like a Little Texas album. Howell and O'Brien continue to write, and outside songwriters chip in material that suits the band well. The country-blues stompers "Gotta Get Me Down Home" and "Party Life," though a bit late to redneck goodtime party scene, are great vehicles for Howell's soulful voice. The name-checking swing of "Texas 101" could easily serve as the basis for a popular CMT video or fan sing-a-along written concert favorite.

The partying stops for several fine ballads, including the retrospective "So Long" with its study of spouses grown apart, friends passed away, and relationships scattered to the winds of time. The sentiment's flipside, "When He's Gone," is too morose for a bride's first dance with her father, but it's a sweet ode to dads everywhere. The title track's return-to-home travelogue is reminiscent of Tim McGraw's "Everywhere," but the happier ending provides less of an emotional wallop.

After a decade away from the studio, Little Texas manages the neat trick of still sounding like Little Texas without sounding trapped in the past. They've got the musical goods for another run at the charts, but only the vagaries of country radio can make that final determination. Either way, the band's fans should like this updated sound, and contemporary country listeners will find these '90s superstars appealing. 3-3/4 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]