Lost Train of Thought

In the early '90s, unless one was an obsessive follower of the Texas singer/songwriter community, you'd be forgiven for thinking Ray Wylie Hubbard had dropped off the face of the Earth after a pair of fine albums recorded in the 1970s went nowhere and Hubbard's biggest claim to fame was writing "Redneck Mother" for Jerry Jeff Walker. But as it happened, Hubbard was still writing fine songs and singing them with a Texas-size dose of heart and soul, and he finally got the chance to prove it with his 1992 comeback set, Lost Train of Thought. Lost Train of Thought boasted 11 originals from Hubbard, and as the rollicking "Here Comes the Night" bursts from the starting gate, these performances come from a man who is determined to make up for a lot of lost time. Hubbard and his band (particularly guitarist Terry Ware) fill these performances with a healthy dose of honky tonk energy and attitude, but even the roughest of Hubbard's roadhouse tales are filled with compassion and intelligence, and the sorrowful "Portales" and "Love in Vain" are tales of heartbreak that strike deep with an affecting eloquence. One of Hubbard's longtime supporters, Willie Nelson, pops up to led his vocal magic to "These Eyes," but Hubbard is the real star of this show, and Lost Train of Thought was the album where a promising songwriter and performer started showing listeners he really had made good on his gifts.