Search - Derailers :: Under the Influence of Buck (Dig)

+1/2 -- Heartfelt country tribute from disciples to master

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 09/11/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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]"

A well done tribute to Buck Owens

Texas Mo | TX, US | 08/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."