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Western singer/songwriters Belinda Gail and
Curly Musgrave (presently living in California) are two of the
highly popular artists on the American western scene. They both
pursue their own solo careers, but are often found performing
together as a duo.
Red Rock Moon is
the most recent release from this paring offering 13 sensational
duets, with a forward on the back cover written by the legendary
Red Steagall. The front cover depicts a fine drawing of the
couple by Kansas' artist Don Dane. Undeniably refreshing, Belinda
and Curly's voices blend together with a sibling quality that
displays a heartfelt emotion and conviction to their singing.
The pair easily weave their way through a mix of western standards
and original compositions
including a live presentation of "The
Remember Song" (Steve Walters), giving a comical
insight of Curly's bad memory. There are fine versions of "Ghost
Riders In The Sky", Ian Tyson's "Lost
In The Rubies", the John Denver piece "Wild
Montana Skies" and an excellent adapt ion of the
80's pop hit "Wind Beneath My Wings".
Curly comments, "We've covered a few great tunes with our
own arrangements, "Streets of Laredo"
we adapted with tempo and lyric changes! We've written a number
of the cuts, Red Rock Moon was
inspired by the Red Rock country of South Utah where we ride
from time to time."
The title track paints a pretty portrait of
two lovers out on the prairies at the end of the day with dust
swirling around a "Red Rock Moon"
and stars glinting off the surface of life. "You
Can't Put A Brand On Me" raises a smile with a swing
style as the gal tries to make her catch and "he"
artfully dodges the net with an ego far beyond his own good. The
pleasant waltz styled "Three Quarter
Time" sits nicely, while the lively cowboy swing
"Dance Cowboy Dance"
offers a complete turn-around in tempo. I particularly like
"The Creakin' Of The Leather"
which sketches the closeness that the cowboy has for his
environment and solitude, while also giving Belinda and Curly an
opportunity to show off their yodelling ability.
Belinda Gail and Curly Musgrave make a
great team who easily spin their magic spell to create this
musical tapestry. Red Rock Moon
closes with an adaptation of "America
The Beautiful" as an added bonus and listed as the
"Veteran's Dedication".
Aug 2006
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