In the movie Walk the Line, when Johnny Cash tries for the first time to get a record deal, legendary producer Sam Phillips listens to his song and tells him, "I don't believe you." Listening to the two-piece Lonesome Spurs' self-titled release, that’s exactly what I keep thinking — I don't believe them.
Danny B. Harvey's guitar is technically fine and there's nothing wrong, per se, with Lynda Kay Parker's vocals, but that authentic feeling of heartache, too many nights in a smoky bar, and all the elements that make a song transcend into something that touches you just isn't there.
Compound the lack of authenticity with the genre the band plays in (rockabilly/country – where authenticity is a must) and you’ve got a one-two punch that just knocks this album out. When Parker sings “I wanna get drunk tonight / Just give me a Jack and Coke” from “Jack & Coke,” her voice is too polished, too clean. I suspect there is some classical training somewhere in her lineage she hasn’t let go of yet.
Now with everything, there must be something good, right? Right. The songwriting on this release really is top-notch, on par with many of the current alt-country, rockabilly acts out there these days. As I mentioned earlier, Harvey’s guitar playing is technically good. He knows what’s he playing and does it well. The band does show promise as on “My Home,” where Parker seems to let go some and let us inside. It’s very obvious Parker has a powerful voice, she just needs to let it go and have some fun with it more often.
As a first release, the Lonesome Spurs debut isn’t quite a home run, more like a Texas-leaguer single, but they’re on base and home is only 270 feet away. As this band grows, they’ll definitely be one to keep an eye on to see how they develop. As for that conversation between Cash and Phillips, well, we all know how that one turned out.
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