The Mavericks Albums (6)
'Live in Austin Texas'
Release Date 9/27/2004
Tracks 16
Label Sanctuary
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Mavericks are talented enough to do any number of things with their music, which has been just a bit problematic for them since their breakthrough with 1994's What a Crying Shame, as they shuffle back and forth between country, sophisticated pop, and Latin accents in the studio without sounding as if they've found a permanent home with any of them. But they can play pretty much anything they set their minds to and make it work, and Raul Malo's glorious pipes are always a joy to hear, and on this live album their ambitious eclecticism works strongly in their favor. Live in Austin Texas finds an augmented version of the Mavericks (complete with horn section) pulling out all the stops for a vocally enthusiastic audience, and here they jump from one style to another with a surefooted abandon, sounding confident and enthusiastic at every turn. Malo is front and center on this performances, as well he should be, but his partners Robert Reynolds (on bass and guitar), Paul Deakin (drums and percussion), and Eddie Perez (guitars) give the singer as good as they get, and while this set list isn't exactly full of surprises, one spin reveals these guys are born showmen who approach each song with equal shares of passion and chops. Malo in particular sounds like he's having one hell of a good time at this show, and the audience is with him all the way -- and from the sound of this show, you sure can't blame 'em. Wherever they choose to go, the truly great Mavericks have talent as wide as their vision, and Live in Austin Texas captures them firing on all cylinders. If you can't find something on this album to groove to, maybe you ought not to bother with this whole music thing in the first place. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'It's Now! It's Live!'
Release Date 5/26/1998
Tracks 7
Label MCA International
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The guys who make up the country group the Mavericks began their professional music career performing together at rock clubs in Florida. Now you might think that's a long ride from Nashville, but they found their way easy enough. Once they did, they didn't leave everything they learned in those rock clubs behind though, and listeners won't miss the rock & roll flavor that the Mavericks stir into a number of the songs on this 1998 album, It's Now! It's Live! As the title foretells, this is a live album. It was made during a couple of shows the group did in Canada. This is great country-rock music done the way the Mavericks do it best, but the album is a little short with only seven tracks. The songs are fan favorites though, like "There Goes My Heart," "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down," and "I Don't Care if You Love Me Anymore." ~ Charlotte Dillon, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
As their career progresses, the Mavericks are becoming more of a showcase for vocalist/frontman Raul Malo, both for better and for worse. They may be losing their band identity, but that may have been inevitable, considering that Malo is such a gifted, powerful musician. He is the driving force behind all of the group's stylistic fusions, their blend of honky tonk with country-rock, classic rock & roll, pop, and Latin. On Music for All Occasions, the stylistic blends sounded a little gimmicky, but the band sounds revitalized on Trampoline -- even the vaudevillian "Dolores" rings as true as the shuffling, cha-cha "I Should Know." If anything, the album is the least "country" album the Mavericks have ever done, but that's primarily because all of their influences have blended seamlessly together, creating an original, altogether intoxicating sound. Furthermore, they're not simply surface -- Malo's songs are clever constructions, ranking among the most imaginative roots songwriting of the '90s. His writing, combined with his band's musical panache, makes Trampoline a ride worth taking. ~ Thom Owens, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After the commercial and critical success of What a Cryin' Shame, the Mavericks were given a bit more creative latitude while making their fourth album, 1995's Music for All Occasions; lead vocalist Raul Malo co-produced the disc, and the '50s pop accents that were bubbling under the surface on their previous set began to rise to the surface, both in their music and in the wink-and-nudge camp of the album's artwork. Malo's deeply emotive tenor voice was made to order for polished supper-club pop tunes like "Foolish Heart" and "Missing You," and while the production and arrangements here possess an appropriate degree of high gloss, the band still finds room to let their own personalities shine though, especially guitarist Nick Kane, who makes with some fine hipster jazz picking. The Mavericks do inject a little classic country into this set, most notably the potent two-step of "The Writing on the Wall," and they were able to have their cake and eat it too with the melodramatic "Here Comes the Rain" and the lively Tex-Mex rave-up "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down" (featuring Flaco Jimenez on accordion), both of which were major hits. While What a Cryin' Shame was a slam dunk of an album, Music for All Occasions is a slyer, more subtle affair, and the polished cool of its surfaces aren't as immediately inviting, but the record's abundant pleasures become clear upon repeated listenings, and its one of the group's best and most accomplished studio sets. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Mavericks fully hit their stride with their third album, 1994's What a Crying Shame, in which the band's blend of rootsy country and vintage pop sounds finally found the balance they'd been searching for. While producer Don Cook gave the band a significantly glossier sound than that of their first two albums, with a hefty number of guest musicians (and guest songwriters) on board, remarkably enough the Mavericks' personality wasn't subsumed in the process; if anything, the high-priced help seemed to have prodded the boys into playing at the top of their game. Raul Malo's keening tenor gets a superb workout on "I Should Have Been True" and the title cut (the latter of which boasts a guitar hook Roger McGuinn would have been proud to come up with), while "Pretend" and "There Goes My Heart" are honky tonk floor-fillers of the first order. Robert Reynolds and Paul Deakin are a rhythm section who can give these songs the nervy drive of a rock band without betraying the Mavericks' country leanings, and they give the covers of "All That Heaven Will Allow" and "O What a Thrill" a taut foundation most contemporary Nashville acts lack. Truth to tell, What a Crying Shame doesn't have a single dud track, and offers encouraging proof that it's still possible to make an engaging and idiosyncratic country album while signed to the Nashville division of a major label...and the best news is, the band managed to turn that accomplishment into a hat trick over the next few years. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Mavericks made their major-label debut with their second album, 1992's From Hell to Paradise, and while co-producer Steve Fishell added a lot more gloss than the band could summon up on their first independently released disc (not all of which works in their favor), overall this set sounds noticeably stronger and more sure-footed than the Mavericks did their first time at bat. The slicker sound certainly makes the most of Paul Deakin's sharp drumming and Robert Reynolds' rock-solid bass, and vocalist Raul Malo gained plenty of control and confidence this time out, with his clear, flexible tenor shining bright on every track, especially the plaintive "This Broken Heart" and the dramatic title song. Between the Farfisa-flavored pop of "I Got You," the rockabilly-accented locomotive charge of "End of the Line," and the Latin accents of "From Hell to Paradise," the broad stylistic range of the group's best work was beginning to make itself felt, as well as intelligent and challenging lyrical themes which set them apart from the average bunch of Nashville cats (significantly, From Hell to Paradise was recorded in that noted country music Mecca of Miami, FL). A few tunes are a bit more formulaic than one might hope for, and while the Hank Williams and Buck Owens covers are fun (and show good taste), they aren't especially enlightening. But there's enough good stuff on From Hell to Paradise to confirm the musical promise of the Mavericks' first album, and pave the way for their breakthrough with What a Crying Shame. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
