Just think about alt-country and good ol’ root music. Staunch, country-fare American sounds pouring out of your loudspeakers. Lost down in Tennessee, boozed up by too much moonshine, but still good enough to enjoy on a hot summer evening. Then again punkish lo-fi pseudo rock’n’roll aesthetics served on a Southern Comfort laced platter of a full Southern Breakfast.
And clearly sometimes the lines between some sort of desert-tinged rock, punk and real country are blurred and there’s trouble really getting a grip on the genre. Especially if we get disconnected country boys or established chansonniers calling in to state that they are now part of the movement.… Got hooked? Raid this some more...
Not sure what it is with the Lone Star State. The flag? Stetsons? The water? Or is it the Texan climate that seems to churn out musicians of a special kind. Empty Trail reaches us from Austin, TX with their 2nd EP Hollow Hearted that was released back in 2014. 
This is the Year of the Lord 1984 and we are listening to The Police, featuring Sting. Right?? Nope. It is actually present-day Train even imitating the Caribbean lilt in their opening song Cadillac, Cadillac that the former and long dissolved band did so well. Well ok – speak about transformation. Kind of a weak start to what should be a stellar record. This is how the band’s new 7th studio album Bulletproof Picasso opens up and it is not really with a volley of deadly artillery fire that will boost you out to space. Hmm.
Well, who would have thought that? After breaking out from obscurity to some better, more lighted shores with their last album, Train managed to land another great record with their 6th studio album California 37. I was very, VERY worried when I heard that they started on a new album way back then. ‘Cause Murphy sez that there is a great risk for the follow on productions to fall into the hands of the Lord of Darkness and never return. 
Well, busted: Here is one of my favorites – RockmusicRaider going mainstream billboard chasin’! What is the world coming to?