![[Border Radio - Americana Brand CD]](graphics/borderradio.jpg "[Border Radio - Americana Brand CD]")
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Border Radio
Americana Brand
Border Radio
Produced by Rick Cunha & Border Radio
Kelly McCune - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, accordion
Mike Stromberg - Dobro, acoustic guitar, vocals
Luke Halpin - mandolin, fiddle, vocals
Robert Staron - upright bass
John McEuen - banjo
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1) This Old Pen (Kelly McCune & Mike Stromberg/Border Radio, Slowpoke Music, ASCAP)
2) Is This the One (Kelly McCune, Slowpoke Music, ASCAP)
3) Unlucky Love (Kelly McCune, Slowpoke Music, ASCAP)
4) When I Get My Rewards (Paul Kennerly, Irving Music, O/B/O Rondor Music (London) Ltd., ASCAP/BMI)
5) Cowboy Dancing (Kelly McCune & Mike Stromberg/Border Radio, Slowpoke Music, ASCAP)
6) Wedding Day (Kelly McCune, Slowpoke Music, ASCAP)
7) Farm Wife (Kelly McCune & Mike Stromberg/Border Radio, Slowpoke Music, ASCAP)
8) Sad Sound (Kelly McCune, Slowpoke Music, ASCAP)
9) These Hills (Iris DeMent, Songs of Iris/Forerunner Music, ASCAP)
10) Long Black Veil (Marijohn Wilkin & Danny Dill, Universal - Songs of Polygram International, Inc., ASCAP)
11) Vacant Lot (Kelly McCune, Slowpoke Music, ASCAP)
12) Playin' Cowboys (Kelly McCune, Slowpoke Music, ASCAP)
13) Dressed Up to Say Goodbye (Kelly McCune & Mike Stromberg/Border Radio, Slowpoke Music, ASCAP)
13) The Other Side of the Door (Kelly McCune, Slowpoke Music, ASCAP)
Review by Bill Yates, Roots66.com
The quartet, Border Radio, is pretty new but sound as if they've been doing this for a long time. Decorated with a cover in the style of old fruit box labels, "Americana Brand" is the group's first full-length CD. Lead singer/songwriter Kelly McCune and songwriting partner/Dobro player Mike Stromberg started the group. McCune is a very talented vocal stylist, handling "cowboy" yodeling and jazzy pieces with equal ease. She's not too shabby a songwriter, either. Stromberg is a strong writing partner and very supportive with his dobro and guitar. Luke Halpin handles the mandolin and fiddle very well while Robert Staron keeps things on track with a steady bass. Are they good? Well, yes. I don't think John McEuen would have joined them on banjo for this CD if they weren't.
"This Old Pen", the writer's long-time favorite writing instrument, may know the singer better than she does herself. "Is This the One" is a nice, slow recounting of the wonderings of a waitress about a regular customer. McCune's jazzy "Unlucky Love" is a fine demonstration of her vocal and songwriting talents. "When I Get My Rewards" is a sweet waltz-time song of longing for love. Stromberg and Halpin provide some nice harmony vocals. It's New Year's Eve and time for some upbeat "Cowboy Dancing". Looking at pictures of their "Wedding Day", the singer reviews her wedded life to a moving along beat. A little chicken-calling Dobro accents "Farm Wife", the account of a city girl seduced into loving the country life.
The singer needs that "Sad Sound" to complement her down mood (McEuen's banjo is heard here). Iris DeMent's "These Hills" is rendered beautifully by McCune and the group. Remember "Long Black Veil"? Border Radio delivers a good version of this venerable old chestnut. Things have changed in the old home town: there's not even a "Vacant Lot" to play in any more. McEuen is back to take his banjo part. "Playin' Cowboys" can be fun no matter what your age. "Dressed Up to Say Goodbye" is the story of a dinner date with a surpise ending. The album closes with McCune's gospel song, "The Other Side of the Door".
From their home in Southern California, this group should be known nationwide before long. Border Radio is a very talented group. McCune is an excellent vocalist and songwriter. She and Stromberg have provided some excellent material for the group. But they can perform other's works with equal care. The material is varied, from cowboy to jazz, but with a uniformly high quality of performance. I look forward to hearing more, much more. Recommended.
Copyright 2003 William Theron Yates
4/13/03
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