that there’s anything wrong with it. I will go out on a limb here and predict that Royal Johnson is going all the way to the top. They have the talent, all they need is a break. Buf- falo says,”Check ‘em out!”
- Michael Buffalo Smith
Dallas Moore Dark Horse Rider (SOL) Cincinnati out-
law rocker and honky tonk staple Dallas Moore is one hard working mofo. Playing well over 300 dates a year, this road
dog just gets better and better with every album release. I can say that because I have been reviewing his records since the begin- ning. The cuts on Dark Horse Rider are as good as any tracks cut by Shaver, Coe, Shooter or any of them badass outlaws. Dallas has turned into one helluva song-
writer. “Bottle and a Bible” is as honky tonkin’ good as it’s title suggests, as is “Trash,” “Faster,” and the title track, “Dark Horse Rider.” I’d have to say that at this point in time, having just seen the guy in concert, my favorites from the album are “Raisin Hell and Slingin’ Gravel” and “Beats All I’ve Ever Seen,” name droppin’ Kinky Friedman and giving tribute to our buddy Wayne Mills who was murdered down in Macon. The song re- minds me of a kind of cross between Shaver and Charlie Daniels. Dark Horse rider has been out for a while,
but I felt it deserved some cyber ink. Look for a review of Dallas’ new record, coming this summer. Until then, pick up Dark Horse
Rider and get you some! This is, as Shaver would say, “the real deal!”
-Michael Buffalo Smith
Elton John Wonderful Crazy Night (Island) I want to go
ahead and say at the outset of this review thatWonderful Crazy Night is one of Elton John’s best
albums ever. It is certainly his best work since The One back in the early 1990’s. Not that any of Sir Elton’s records suck. That ain’t happen- ing. But this time around, he has reunited with lyricist Bernie Taupin and also put his original band back together to create an album that you feel in your heart and soul from the very first notes of your very first lis- ten. Is it really that good, Buffalo, you ask? My answer? Yes it is. From the opening title track, Elton takes us
on a journey reminiscent of his great albums of the ‘70’s like Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. He sings about a wonderful, love and fun filled night in the Caribbean, but this is a light weight tune and lyric when com- pared to the tracks that follow. “Blue Won- derful” is a catchy love song with a melody that sticks in your head. I read a couple of re- views by so called critics who panned this album, and this song in particular. To that I say, not all music should be overanalyzed. Some of it should simply be enjoyed for the sheer fun of it. “I’ve Got 2 Wings,” a biographical look at
holy bluesman Reverend Utah Smith, may be the finest track on the album. Taupin pro-
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