Boland thinks "Hard Times Are Relative"

The Last Kings of Babylon

Twenty-five years on and with 11 studio albums, Oklahoma's Jason Boland & The Stragglers keep rolling. Tapping the iconic producer, Lloyd Maines, who produced their debut, the band cut "The Last Kings of Babylon" live in the studio in just two days. With its share of rave-ups, autobiographical tales and a few doses of social commentary, the band continues to prove not only why they've endured, but that they keeping pushing forward, avoiding staleness. ...

Hard Times Are Relative

Jason Boland and The Stragglers serve up the ninth helping of their unapologetic, get it or not, country, in the past 20 years. This appears to almost be two EP's with the first mostly being a hard country dance cd and the second being a little more "out there" mix of fun and contemplative tunes, much less easy to categorize. Beginning with the stone country "I Don't Deserve You," the Stragglers versatility shines against Boland's baritone (joining on ...

Squelch

Jason Boland and the Stragglers have a huge cult following in Texas and surrounding environs, and even though they've been around since 1998 and this is their 10th album, they are virtually unknown outside their Lone Star State fan base. Boland's fans will tell you that's because of his uncompromising commitment to "real country," not the hybridized pop fluff found on the radio dial these days. And that's certainly true - although the inclusion of such NSFR songs as ...