SONGS OF THE COWFOLK

SONGS OF THE COWFOLK

RANDY TRAVIS Always & Forever (Warner Bros.)

DWIGHT YOAKAM Hillbilly Deluxe (Reprise)

STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES Exit O (MCA)

Howdy, neighbors. The following is addressed to those who’ve wanted like the dickens to become country music fans, but haven’t had much encouragement. Perhaps you’ve been afraid friends would laugh and call you a cracker. Maybe you checked out the outlaw movement a decade ago, only to discover middle-aged men bragging about their bad habits. Well, no doubt you’ve heard about this new generation that’s been credited with revitalizing the country scene. And you’re probably wondering whether they’re a genuine improvement, or just another crop of Hee Haw candidates. So let’s mosey on down to where the good ole boys roam and meet three of these bright young talents up close and personal.

Our first whippersnapper is Randy Travis, who “went platinum,” as they say, on his first LP, an achievement virtually unheard of in Nashville. Apart from some tacky gold jewelry, the lad looks a nice enough sort, squarejawed and handsome, in an average way. But this is a far from average singer—he’s a relaxed crooner in the honky-tonk mode of Lefty Frizzell and Merle Haggard, and role models don’t come any better than those gents. Just try “Too Gone Too Long” or “Tonight We’re Gonna Tear Down The Walls,” the opening and closing tracks on his new Always & Forever LP, and get set to smile. These dandy examples of modern Western swing find Travis at his most personable, gliding through the light rhythms like a vet. Elsewhere, the news ain’t so good. There’s a passel of mushy love songs guaranteed to make you wince. To boot, Travis isn't the most animated singer; in fact, on the poppy “What’ll You Do About Me” he pretends he’s already been stuffed by the taxidermist. Worst of all, “I Told You So” carries on the (ugh) Kenny Rogers tradition of bloated melodrama. Give Travis time, and you can bet the farm he’ll turn out just like that gray bozo.

Don't despair, pardner. Better listenin’ awaits in the person of Dwight Yoakam, who’s back with a swell sequel to his own successful debut. One look at the cover of Hillbilly Deluxe and you can tell he’s got a big streak of rocker in him: Sporting a haughty expression, he’s decked out in a cowboy hat and pricey western jacket, but his shirt-tail’s loose and he’s gotta big Joey Ramone-type hole in the knee of his jeans! Lordy! The grooves reveal another descendant of Lefty and Merle, only one with plenty of fire. Though Yoakam can’t match Travis note-for-note, he’s a dang sight more expressive, exaggerating a yodel on the spunky “Little Ways” or bending the melody on “1,000 Miles” for theatrical effect. While “Readin’, Rightin’, Rt. 23” offers a simple celebration of his family’s “sweet hillbilly charm,” Yoakam doesn’t mind having a little fun with country conventions: Both “Johnson’s Love” and “This Drinkin ’ Will Kill Me” carry familiar tales of woe to laughable extremes, producing campy fun in the process. Note also how his band cooks on the rockabilly-tinged “Smoke Along The Tracks” and kicks the cover of Elvis’s "Little Sister” into party overdrive. Ya-hoo!

Finally, spirits lifted, we come to Steve Earle, also back for his second official go-round (forgetting an inferior LP of old stuff rudely unearthed by his old label recently). He's been known to perform Springsteen’s “State Trooper” live, which tells you exactly where Earle comes from. Most of the stirring Exit 0 chronicles ordinary people struggling to make the best of tough situations. “The Week Of Living Dangerously” is a driving boogie ’bout a guy on the run from his family and job, while the subdued “No. 29” longs for high-school days, when dreams were new. It’s not all ultra-serious, mind you. There’s time to cool out on “Sweet Little ’66,” his Boss-like salute to a car, and “San Antonio Girl,” a nice little Tex-Mex thumper. In any case, Earle’s technically ordinary voice couldn’t be more eloquent; bravo also to the Dukes, who spend more time on E Street than down in the cotton patch. In short, Exit 0 will tickle anyone who gives a hoot about music with plenty of heart, whatever the style. Ain’t that what y’all were lookin’ for?

Jon Young