Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash Albums (4)
'Live at the Belly Up'
Release Date 2/9/2009
Tracks 13
Label Texacali
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
While the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash still haven't summoned up the swagger or the attitude to live up to their name, their third album, Mile Markers, does find them finally living up to the promise of their first two albums, which made this band sound like it had plenty of talent but not much to say. Lead Bastard Mark Stuart (who apparently is the band's only constant these days) has sharpened up his songwriting since 2002's Distance Between, and "Borderline of the Heart" and "California Sky" are both lyrically and musically evocative in a way his earlier work never quite managed, and his vocals conjure up the dry, dusty atmosphere of the Western plains with an easy but honest skill. Stuart also has a sold band onboard for these sessions, featuring the masterful Greg Leisz on steel guitar and Taras Prodaniuk on bass, and the performances cook with a muscular authority. And if this music is more straight country than rock these days, it's honest country that neither plays its influences for laughs or is reaching for a fake sense of roots -- Stuart is maturing into a strong songwriter with plenty of heart and soul, and that's what makes Mile Markers connect where the Bastard Sons' first two albums were near misses. There still ain't no way I'd call this band the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, but on Mile Markers they could be the Younger Brothers of Robert Earl Keen, and that's big improvement over where they'd been. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Given the fact that Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash have one of the most superbly arrogant names any alt-country band could hope to dream up, it's a bit of a puzzler that they don't sound leaner and meaner than they do, and while the group's second album, Distance Between, is a solid collection of well-crafted country-rock, the fact is these guys hardly sound like outlaws in the manner of their hero, either musically, legally, or attitudinally. While there are a few potent twang-rock numbers on Distance Between -- the two best being about cars, "Wind It Up" and "1970 Monte Carlo" -- most of the album is dominated by languid mid-tempo numbers whose temperament seems influenced either by U2 during their "thinking about America" period (such as "Tears of Gold") or a slightly grittier take on '70s country-rock (typified by "Marfa Lights"). Mark Stuart is a dependable songwriter, and his voice makes him sound like Lyle Lovett's rough-and-tumble younger brother (or Bruce Springsteen's twangier cousin), while the band is tight and professional on all 12 songs here. But while Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash's chops are just fine, their inspiration often sounds a bit forced, and there's very little here that sounds particularly passionate or strikingly original. There isn't a thing wrong with the craft or the execution of Distance Between, but it sounds a bit short on fire and feeling, and it's hard not to think that a little dose of their namesake's attitude and defiance would do them a world of good. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
While their name might suggest the punkabilly of a band like Southern Culture on the Skids, the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash are honky tonk traditionalists. Lead singer Mark Staurt uses his strong tenor to sing of too much drinking, too many women, and too many truck stops. Meanwhile, guitarist Alex Watts lays down the twang and Scott Hall's stinging pedal steel lines cut through the landscape like a distant train. While the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash clearly (and thankfully) don't take themselves too seriously, they are quite serious about their love of the music of legends like their namesake, and it shows. ~ Tim Sheridan, All Music Guide
