“I woke up last night in the grip of a fright scared to breathe for I might make a noise
This life that we craved so little we saved between the grandparents graves and the grandchildren’s toys”

Looking back at youth and the mistakes you easily make, James McMurtry understands what it means to be a cowboy as he softly sings on “Copper Canteen.” It’s easy to pay compliments to this singer-songwriter sweetheart, as he is often too wise and he never stops telling stories. In some ways, he’s got the tenor of Lou Reed and the small-town lyrics of Bruce Springsteen. And while I believe artists can succeed via a more traditional corporate-worn path, it is all the more noble that he has been able to stay true to himself after all these years. Hats off to James McMurtry for another timeless album.