This album is a fresh alternative to the stale, pop-like, top 40 refuse played on the radio. Jason Boland is a songwriter who puts soul and raw emotion into his songs, such as "Proud Souls" and "Backslider Blues", yet also manages to pull out some old honky tonk sing along songs such as "Pearl Snaps". This CD is a must have for all fans of Americana music.

This album is a fresh alternative to the stale, pop-like, top 40 refuse played on the radio. Jason Boland is a songwriter who puts soul and raw emotion into his songs, such as "Proud Souls" and "Backslider Blues", yet also manages to pull out some old honky tonk sing along songs such as "Pearl Snaps". This CD is a must have for all fans of American music.

Great first album...live show is even better....you won't be disappointed if you purchase this album

This album is the perfect party disc. I live in Colorado and many of my friends do not enjoy country music. This album combines country themes with comedy. Every time I entertain guests, in an informal setting, I play this CD. It serves as an ice-breaker and helps to add a smile to everyone's face. It's hysterical. Life should be enjoyed and shared with friends, and this album's creative look at life and relationships reminds us all that "life isn't so bad!".

The Essential Steve Earle CD is a must-have. Cover-to-cover, one of the best ones I've got.

I worked with Doug out in Tennessee when he was putting this album together and it is obvious that all the time and effort that went into its creation was well worth it. He is a genuine talent and this album is just the tip of the iceberg for Doug.

Dub Miller is a thief. Pure and simple. All the best song writers will tell you that they are thieves, too. And Dub Miller only takes from the best things the Texas Music tradition has to offer. On "American Troubadour", Dub Miller conjures up smoky honky-tonks, just south of legal escapades, an elderly East Texas gentleman, an aging mercenary, and undying love all with equal clarity. Dub Miller, along with members of his Highway 6 Band and production from legend Lloyd Maines and crew, has put together an album full of color and vitality. In Texas, where the music world has been beset by half-hearted album attempts as of late, Miller has set himself apart by doing things better than the other guys. Miller realizes that when it comes to country music nothing is new and everything old is new again. The difference is Dub Miller wouldn't have it any other way. From "American Troubadour"'s first song the listener knows what it is they're in for. With "These Old Boots" Mr. Miller may very well be describing his own traditional style of music. "These old boot's are cracked and dusty, and worn out on the ends, But they've walked with me a thousand miles and they've become my friends." he sings. Right up front letting the world know that he intends on carrying on the country tradition and honky tonk burdens of his musical heroes past and present. As if we still were not convinced "The Dancer" does it for us again. Only better. This is the stuff Jack Ingram is riding all the way to the bank. Miller's song of an elderly east Texas man still dancing his life away fueled by the adoration of all the women whose hearts he's stolen on the dance floor. This song is ripe and ready for hot summer dance halls. By the time the fiddles kick in you'll have taken on this southern gentleman's philosophy for a happy life. On "Postcards From Paris"(written with Clay McIntosh) Miller gives us a hint of what he can do with a sad song, and a voice that may soon rival the Robison brothers ( Bruce and Charlie ) for communicating pure heartache. On "End Of Story" He let's these gifts fly, singing, "And I can't tell where my heartache ends and your's begins. But, now darling how will our story end." The effect might well make any Texan weep. The desperation of the character's regret shown more in the voice than the words. The anguish within the song betrayed more by Dub's subtle phrasing than by the words themselves. This summer, it is likely that many a tear will fall across Texas in time with these songs. With tunes like "Nine Miles North of Mason" and "Paying The Fiddler" (co- written with Miller's Highway 6 Band guitar player Matt Skinner) Miller sings story songs to make many of his contemporaries quit the business altogether. On the former Miller sings of an oil field worker who loses his hand in an accident but refuses to give in. This song is a beautiful daydream for every working man who has ever felt picked upon by fate, the company they give their lives to, their neighbors, the law, and the modern world in general. Story's this good are usually found on Robert Earl Keen CD's. The latter song more closely resembles the work of Mark David Manders. "Paying The Fiddler" is the story of an aging mercenary who left "McArthur's side." The character trading the glory and notoriety of an American hero for the freedom and easy money of being a soldier of hire. Now growing old in obscurity and realizing the fighting is finally over for him he seems to be questioning this decision. "Do they know of all the deeds he's done or know of the battles won. Now he's too old to fight and know one really cares." Dub Miller sings "Of the scars that his battered body bears" as if he carried a few of his own. To put together an album this good at such a young age I believe he must. Pay close attention folks. This is only Dub's first album. There are no doubt years of great song writing ahead.

Can't say better than Greg, definitely the best!

The definition of Texas country... it just doesn't get any better than drinking lone star and listening to Robert Earl Keen.

Steve Earle is the best live act currently performing -