Panhandle Sunset

A young singer/songwriter, Luke Olson continues to improve with not only each album, but with each song. The opening title track is a modern-day folk arrangement complete with Ron Knuth's fiddle leading the song along. Most of the early tracks deal with his native Texas, but have more in common with Nashville's Music Row in terms of sound and structure. Songs such as "Northeast Texas Women" resemble the Dixie Chicks, perhaps because Lloyd Maines has significant input on the album. When Olson attempts a slower and more melodic sound on "Rainy Sunday," his performance is by far one of his album's signature tunes. Toe-tapping material such as "Back in the Saddle" is the first hint of traditional Texas music, coming across as a young Steve Earle circa Guitar Town. Lyrically, a few songs could improve, such as the clichéd ballad "Believe in Me." "The Other Side" is perhaps the best track on the record, a deliberately built arrangement with a touch of pedal steel guitar. Also strong is the closing "City of Dreams," a song walking a tightrope between traditional and alternative country.