Ohio-based four-piece The Shootouts had no intention of putting out their third LP so soon. Their last record, Bullseye, came out less than a year ago, but Ray Benson – founder of the Texas Swing band Asleep At The Wheel and musical hero of The Shootouts – mentioned he wanted to work with the band, so they quickly made the obvious decision and got right back to the studio.
With Benson and co-producer Sam Seifert behind the glass, they got to work on Stampede. The result is an 11-track album that dovetails nicely into their small but growing catalogue of Western Swing and classic country music. The band brought in a slew of guests to help with this one. Benson sits in for “One Step Forward” while The Mavericks’ Raul Malo lends his vocals to “I’ll Never Need Anyone More.” Elsewhere, Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Miller and Marty Stuart all make appearances. Aside from some different voices, Stampede isn’t a big step away from the group’s earlier efforts; they still play an impressive blend of music that nods to nostalgia and a time when dance halls across Texas were packed, while updating the classic country and Western Swing sound slightly with elements of rockabilly.
Some of the most impressive tracks here are the instrumentals, like the lightning fast guitar picking from Brian Poston and the accompanying fiddle, courtesy of Asleep At The Wheel’s Dennis Ludike on the title track. “Tomorrow’s Knockin’,” with Jim Lauderdale guesting, sounds like an old Buck Owens classic, while “Feelin’ Kind Of Lonely Tonight” is an inspired mix of swing and rock.
From Devo and The Black Keys to The Cramps, Northeast Ohio has long been a surprisingly creative well spring for against the grain musicians doing their own thing and forcing the music world to catch up to their music. Despite a sound that seems tailor-made for Texas, it seems rather appropriate then given the region’s eclectic musical history that The Shootouts, with their love for swing, rockabilly and honky tonk, are doing it all from their native Ohio.
