It Came from San Antonio

Bruce Robison's success as a country songwriter whose compositions have been taken to the top of the charts by the likes of Tim McGraw and the Dixie Chicks necessarily tends to overshadow his work as a performer himself. This independent label release is a modest effort, an EP, really, though it doesn't seem to be billed as such, containing only seven songs with a running time under 28 minutes. Producing himself, Robison is able to be self-indulgent, leading off with the title song, a Tex-Mex romp in the manner of the Sir Douglas Quintet, and concluding with a philosophical country ballad that probably should be called "A Simple Song," but which he has mysteriously titled "23A." In between are some other well-written songs that might make good LP tracks for some of the Nashville stars who look to Robison for material. He performs the songs well, too, employing Kelly Willis on harmony vocals, but as usual, the tunes seem to call for a more distinctive interpreter.