Customer Reviews

Under the Influence of Buck

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With this 13-track tribute to the music of Buck Owens, the Derailers return to their Bakersfield roots. Formed in Austin in the mid-90s, the Derailers were Owens' most vocal enthusiasts throughout the last years of his career. They covered his songs live and on disc, and performed at his birthday parties and his club (The Crystal Palace). Owens was an inspiration, mentor and colleague to the young band. Their studio debut (1996's excellent "Jackpot") featured the same joie de vivre that made the Buckaroos classic '60s singles and LPs so exciting. Lead vocalist/guitarists Brian Hofeldt and Tony Villanueva rediscovered the thrill of blazing through the haze of a honky-tonk with twin Telecasters, singing heartfelt, plainspoken songs of love and loss. The Derailers wrote some of the best Buck Owens songs not actually written by Buck Owens.

As the band's career developed they followed some of Owens' other musical leads, integrating pop and rock sounds and beats. They signed briefly with Sire, then with Sony's short-lived Lucky Dog imprint and finally with Sony themselves. Paired with Nashville producers and songwriters, their releases gained a slickness that diluted the sting of their Bakersfield roots. Villanueva left the band at the end of 2003 (eventually returning to his Oregon hometown to become a pastor), and Hofeldt retrenched by adding a full-time steel guitarist and pianist. The resulting album (2006's "Soldiers of Love") featured a mixture of country twang, jangly pop, rockabilly and blues that didn't always feel cohesive; more a tour through Brian Hofeldt's ecelectic influences than the vision of a band.

Finally, returning to the inspiration that first launched his public career, Hofeldt and his Derailers have recorded a dozen titles from the pen of Buck Owens, together with a cover of the Chuck Berry song ("Johnny B. Goode") that Owens and the Buckaroos often played in their live shows. The return to form suggests that while Hofeldt's head may hold a broad array of musical influences, his heart remains with Owens' brand of twangy country music. In earlier incarnations of the band, Hofeldt provided the smoother end of Owens vocals, while Villanueva provided the saltier, sadder side. Their Buck-and-Don vocal pairings also included their dual Telecasters. This time out, Hofeldt provides all the leads, shadowed much more lightly by harmony vocals and balancing his guitar against Chris Schlotzhauer's pedal steel and dobro instead of a second Telecaster.

Impressively, the changes all work to the project's benefit. Hofeldt's vocals have never sounded better, channeling Buck Owens' easy tone without imitating it, and the sting of his guitar plays perfectly against acoustics, steel and dobro. The arrangements stay close to the originals, but with Hofeldt so deeply in the zone, these covers offer many of the same thrills as the originals. One can hear him thinking of his first meeting with Owens as he sings "My Heart Skips a Beat" and pouring the distress of Owens' passing into "Cryin' Time."

While it would have been nice for Villanueva to have guested on these sessions, his absence actually pushed Hofeldt and band to rethink their presentations. The changes are subtle, a vocal inflection here or a line of organ or honky-tonk piano there, but it shows just how thoroughly the Derailers have imbibed the originals, and how fluent they've become with the hybrid honky-tonk/country/pop language that Owens defined. There's no topping Owens' original sides (check out "21 #1 Hits," the 3-CD "Buck Owens Collection," or original LP reissues like "Together Again/My Heart Skips a Beat"), but the Derailers didn't set out to make these versions better, only tributes to sustain the artistic legacy of their primary inspiration. And that they've accomplished. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]

The Derailers respect and love of Buck Owens & his great music are shown well in this album. They make the music their own, while still keeping the music pure Buck Owens. The vocals are so well done, that at times you may forget it's not Buck behind the microphone. A great CD, especially for fans of the late, great Buck Owens & REAL country music.

An excellent collection of some of Buck's Best! Who else but the Derailers could pull off these songs as well? No one - that's who! Brian handles the vocals and guitar parts very well. I only wish Tony would've been on this CD too. To me, Tony and Brian really make the Derailers what they are. This CD gets by only because Brian sounds more like Buck than Tony would have. Overall tho, I am very pleased with this CD, and continue to be impressed by the Derailers.

The Derailers deliver more of that great Bakersfield sound in "Under the Influence of Buck" a tribute to their hero, Buck

As usual The Derailers have put out yet another good album singing the music of Buck. A handy album for the lovers of the Derailers.

The Derailers doing a Buck Owens tribute was as likely-- and as welcome--as kd lang doing a Patsy Kline tribute. The influence of Bakersfield on the Derailers has been evident since their first album in the mid-nineties.

"Under the Influence of Buck" is comprised of twelve Buck Owens originals and, to round out the baker's dozen, "Johnny B. Goode," a tune that Owens frequently covered.

The Derailers take no liberties with Owens' music and they offer nothing new in the way of interpretation. This is as earnest and straight-ahead a tribute as you'll find, a literal reading of the Buck Owens setlist. But whatever the Derailers intentionally lack in innovation and interpretation, they more than compensate for in enthusiasm, spirit and exceptional musicianship.

The lead story here is the skill and interplay of pedal steel player Chris Schlotzhauer and six string player Brian Hofeldt. The pairing of the two results in some of the best honky tonk licks since Dwight Yokum's Bakersfield-inspired work of the late eighties.

There's some "Hee Haw" cornball pieces like "Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass" and "Tiger by the Tail," but there's some surprisingly introspective work, too: "Big In Vegas" conveys yearning, loss and a persistence of dreams of stardom that would work well in any country set. The song is oddly but effectively showcased here, set among 12 other songs that are unwaveringly earthy and direct. There's also a great little "easter egg" concluding the CD: an unlisted and fiddle solo (an Owens composition "Cajun Fiddle" performed by Haydn Vitera) that serves as a coda for the album and a suitable epitaph for the man himself.

This is a very atmospheric and mostly very listenable album. It's the album that the Derailers--a great bar band in the tradition of Commander Cody--was destined to make.

Note: Copyright 2007 Elmore Magazine and reprinted with permission.

A great likeness to their hero. If I didn't know it wasn't Buck, I might have been fooled.

Every track on this recording is a gem. The Derailers stayed true to the Buck Owens and Bucaroos sound. Any Buck Owens fan or anyone who likes good old country music will love this cd.

What a great CD. The Derailers capture the essence of Buck. If you only like "new country", you will not like this CD. If you are partial to Classic Country, this is the CD for you.

More from the best honky tonk band around!!!

Even if you are not a fan of the "Bakersfield Sound" of Buck Ownes, you can't help but dance when these guys are playing a live gig. This record just gives them fresh dance hall music for those of us who've seen them more than once!!!