Bull Riders: Chasing the Dream (Cold Spring, 1998)

Like many soundtracks, "Bull Riders: Chasing the Dream" (a documentary tracing the struggles of rodeo bull riders) is a bit of a mixed bag. Seemingly made up entirely of Texas artists, there are some fine numbers to be sure, but several fall into a kind of generic, "I'm gonna make it after all" kind of mode.

The Derailers' "The Glory Will Never Get Old" starts out as a nice waltz before moving into Waylon Jennings territory. Don Walser comes up with "Bullrider's Last Ride" about the hazards of the sport. Joannie Keller turns in a nice version of Chris Wall's "Rodeo Wind." And Wall himself contributes two older numbers; "Cowboy Nation" and "Let 'Er Buck." A bit less successful is Stop the Truck's "Let's See If He Can Ride," which sounds like nothing else so much as generic uptempo HNC produced on a budget.

A nice compilation if you're a fan of the rodeo or of Texas acts. Little here is "A-list" material, but decent enough, nonetheless.