Reviewed by Sammy Horner

Don't matter whatcha think of it, country music ain't goin' away. Sometimes cheesier than a pail o' Philadelphia, sometimes cooler than a polar bear's paws, country is here to stay. This offering comes from cowhand (not a reference to how he plays guitar) Ken Holloway and is as good as any of the new breed of country stars who are presently reviving the industry. Not as tough as Steve Earl's powerful country rock, more like the work of Dwight Yoakam's of the Nashville world, who are actually making straight ahead country music hip all over again. In saying that, Holloway doesn't sound like Yoakam at all. vocally much more like Randy Travis, with a deep drawl in every tune, that sounds like it's coming from his Justin Boots. The songs are standard country fare, stories set to music.about faith and life. "I Don't Care Where You Dig That Hole" gives a wee glimpse into Holloway's swipe at some nutty American culture (door to door grave salesmen!) and one can only hope that "Daddy Whipped The Devil" is along similar lines, otherwise the town that he lives in must be very dull indeed! A good enough album for lovers of all things Nashville related.matching anything by the aforementioned Travis or Vince Gill. It may have a limited audience in the UK, but if you're the kinda guy who knows the difference between Nashville's Ryman and nursery rhymin', you're gonna say "Yeeha!" to this one.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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