This is indeed cowboy music done in a spare style that puts it within the country and cowboy tradition, with harmony brother duet Tony Kinman and Chip Kinman joined on drums by Jamie Spidle. What’s not so easy to determine is exactly how squarely in the tradition this falls. Certainly the low lead vocals have an almost deadpan quality that makes you occasionally wonder if they’re playing this entirely straight. There are also some lyrics that might pass for deadpan humor or satire of the genre, as on “Blood on the Saddle”: “Oh pity the cowboy all gory and red, a bronco fell on him and mashed in his head.” It’s well-executed, and has a broader musical and thematic range than much pure cowboy music has. Still, given the long and colorful resumes of the Kinmans, you also wonder whether the fellows are stretching their talents as much as they can. Cowboy music does have limits to what it can cover, certainly lyrically and to some extent musically, and there’s a curious sense of the musicians coasting a bit here. It’s best when they apply their harmonies to give the generally dolorous tunes a lift, as on “Cut Above.” – Richie Unterberger
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