Galactic Cowboys
LET IT GO
Metal Blade
As a journalist (I use that word loosely) I normally try and review albums with at least some sort of objectivity allowing you the beautiful listeners to make up your own mind about a particular disc. With this CD however I must tell you that I am extremely biased and think that every man, woman and child in the country should own at least ten copies. I should also make mention that I am slightly bummed that the Galactic Cowboys have decided to hang up their space boots, which is another reason why you should buy this album while it is still in print. Ok that's enough subtle ploys to convince you that LET IT GO is a brilliant piece of rock music history.
Track one is a good example of the chaotic humor that I have always loved about this Texas trio. TIM doesn't waste any time burning the infectious guitar riff and the even catchier chorus into your brain. Like a lot of the songs on this project TIM is laden with humor but the songs are so tight and well executed that you might forget to laugh until you are actually reading the lyrics for yourself.
A Different Way has a great blend of and electric sounds over a huge wall of layered harmonies that would make the Beatles jealous. While Life and Times is a little darker look at things, the band manages to keep the song up-tempo and catchy enough that some inept radio listeners might mistake it for any other bubble-gum song on the radio.The Galactic Cowboys were constantly compared to Kings X through out their career and as a huge Kings X fan I can honestly say this project is as good as anything the other Houston trio has cranked out in the last few years and in some ways even better
Disney's Spinnin is my favorite cut on the album and not just for the brilliant commentary on the state of music. It is the addition of songs like this that cause me to wonder if the Cowboys knew that this might be their last album. It is the sort of thing that you might say on your last day of work when you know that there is nothing that can be done to you.
LET IT GO is full of brilliant pop songs without sacrificing the hard driving sound of monster metal bands of the past. Almost every cut could easily be a radio single except for the fact that they donšt conform the current standard set by the nameless teenybopper bands controlling the music cash flow. Since the loss of Alan Doss on drums many of us were wondering how GC would pull off that tight sound. I guess the next best thing to a great drummer is to borrow a great drummer and since they are compared to Kings X so much anyway who could be a better choice than Jerry Gaskill.
Ordinary could easily be a Collective Soul song with the high falsetto and the soft acoustic sounds and sweet harmonies. The addition of a moog and keyboard to this track adds a nice subtle depth that it is not typically found on most projects from metal Blade. Internalize is an almost 180 degree turn from the nice soft ballad heading in an almost grind core direction yet still keeping that tight harmony and huge chorus.
BOTTOM LINE: While I will concede that this is not the best album ever recorded, it is certainly the best album that the Galactic Cowboys have ever recorded. So if you have ever been curious about GC LET IT GO is a perfect introduction.
Bob Kendall