Somethin' Else

Texas residents Ten City Run come out of the gates roarin' on their Somethin' Else (named for the classic Eddie Cochran tune), their Universal South debut. Fronted by songwriter, vocalist, and bassist Hans Frank (nope, he's not European; he's from Upper Appalachia in mountain country) and featuring Texan über-guitarist Casper Rawls and drummer Luckey McClain (both are native Texans). Frank is fine songwriter, he takes his honky tonk and his rock & roll seriously and melds them close to perfectly on the first single, the raucous "City of Angels (Dumb Ol' Country Boy)" — they should drop that parenthetical statement form the title — the fine, midtempo, broken love song "Memories," the wooly two-stepper "We're in It," which may have been a hit for Buck Owens in the mid-'60s, the scorching country rocker "Mama Died," and the swinging honky tonk weeper, "Congratulations," that Dwight Yoakam should consider cutting. The bottom line is that Ten City Run embody all that is right about Texas music. They have the spirit to be sure, but they also have the chops, and their choice of covers on this 12-song set is impeccable. Ten City Run covers not only Cochran, but they also do a fine read of Warren Zevon's classic "Carmelita" (complete with weeping accordion). Doug Sahm's "Juan Mendoza" is done faithfully; though nobody here can sing it like that late Texas groover. Taking songs from the revered Texas swing era can be risky, but the voodoo blues read of Tommy Duncan's "Stay All Night," reinvents the tune. Of more modern fare, there's Will Kimbrough and Gwil Owen's "Goodnight Moon," with a nice twist using a Fender Rhodes in the intro and backdrop and their signature tune, and the late Emily Graham's (from Buffalo Nickel) "El Camino." While there is nothing terribly new here, there doesn't need to be. Somethin' Else is a solid, promising debut by a band that may be as much fun on disc as they are live.