Live at Billy Bob's Texas - Stoney LaRue

There's a difference between being a band that plays in a lot of bars and being a bar band, but the distinctions blur a bit on this live set from Oklahoma country-rocker Stoney LaRue. LaRue won some positive press for his debut studio set, 2005's The Red Dirt Album, and he has a strong, emotive voice and some real talent as a songwriter. This live disc was recorded in front of a seemingly well-oiled audience on a Friday night, and he plays for the crowd in a manner that suggests he wanted to make sure the last guy in the back of the room didn't miss anything. LaRue and his band fill their set list with stuff like "Solid Gone" and "One Chord Song," along with a batch of covers that anyone who hangs out in a country or blues club is likely to know by heart. LaRue's bandmembers have solid chops as they stomp through their arrangements, and LaRue swaggers through the show like he's playing in an arena rather than a club. On Live at Billy Bob's Texas, LaRue's blend of blues figures and country-rock arrangements would probably sound best in a crowded bar after you've had four or five beers. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide