The Josh Abbott Band Knows How To Dream Big as Texas

There's a recurring theme that runs throughout the 13-track buffet known as "Small Town Family Dream". That theme is pride. Pride in who you are. Pride in what you contribute to the world. Pride in the life you've crafted for yourself. The Josh Abbott Band makes it virtually impossible not to root for them. All the tracks come complete with a warmth as comforting as sunrise in the Texas Hill Country. What's palpably wonderful about "My Texas", a song featuring country stalwart Pat Green, is how it's essentially designed to be a Texas neophyte's Cliff Notes gaze into all the things a true Texan loves and wants to share with city slickers. For instance you can't call yourself a true Texan if you've never gone fishing in Port Aransas or hiked through Big Bend. You're not dyed in the wool if you haven't had a Shiner beer in Luckenbach or explored San Antonio's Riverwalk. Josh and the boys had put together a musical travel itinerary that's hard to resist. The band's home base of Idalou, Texas gets its due with the aptly named track "Idalou". It features prominent appearances by Preston's Walt's fiddle along with another country music old pal, the banjo. The title track lays bare all the goodness of family pride amongst generations of farmers who are content with their lot and have no problem espousing the worthiness of that lifestyle to others. The faces change but the names stay the same. Late in the track there's a killer fiddle solo. Don't turn your head for a sandwich break or you'll miss it. "She Will Be Free" paints a stellar picture of a woman who doesn't let any sling or arrow slow her down. This song offers Edward Villanueva to really hammer home his passion on drums. Here Josh recalls how he and his sweetie met. Visions of a summer sun and, if left to the imagination, a cool pre-dusk breeze fill the air. The term "meet cute" pops up immediately. I'm impressed with how accessible Josh and his bandmates make dream pursuit and possible wish fulfillment sound. You start to believe that maybe the journey does play a pivotal role in helping you realize your goals. This "Family" affair is bathed in an abiding goodness that you'd have to have a heart of stone not to appreciate.