Boland thinks "Hard Times Are Relative"

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 ...

Dark Dirty Mile

Jason Boland and the Stragglers have released a new country album that sounds old. This isn't to imply that the sound is aged in a negative way; they have a classic country maturity that isn't heard too much these days with the exception of Jamey Johnson. For those not familiar with the music of Boland, the first track is a great way to decide whether this is your kind of country music. The title track is a mid tempo country song reminiscent of the late Waylon Jennings. ...