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Meet Us at The Horseshoe Lounge4 Out Of 5 Stars
I've composed several Amazon reviews for Slaid Cleaves' assortment of albums, even laying a couple of five star excellent ratings on his work. But this album exposes the way I discovered him originally; in an intimate setting surrounded by fans as the man told stories and laid down some incredible songs. I've seen Slaid both with band and as a solo performer, and he never fails to leave an impression. Here, he's in a hometown crowd with guests and associates playing along.
You'll hear tales of characters that inspired songs, jokes about his travels, but most importantly, that honey of a voice giving form to the people Slaid sings and writes about. He can go from goofy and fun ("Drinking Days") to broken relationships ("Broke Down") to folk-storyteller ("Breakfast In Hell") without missing a beat or sounding inauthentic. And like all good folkies, he has an arsenal of political protest tunes. The best of them ("Hard To Believe," originally on the perfectly done "Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away") or the fallen soldier's family in "Green Mountains and Me," pierce instead of punch.
Slaid is one of the best of the Austin Americana crowd. He's built a reputation as a must see artist over a couple decades of touring and recording. "Live At The Horseshoe Lounge" is not only the live compilation fans have long waited for, it's the perfect introduction to an artist making must hear music.
