
After almost 30 years of career and having reached his 18th album, Dallas Moore has not lost his desire to make great music and to do it as if it were his debut.
A few weeks ago I had the great honor of interviewing him for my blog (you can find the beautiful interview here https://www.trexroads.com/independent-interview-dallas-moore/) and today I am thrilled because I have been chosen, among a few , to preview his new album.
Every time I use the word “legend” when I talk to you about Dallas and I don’t do it to give a tone to the review or to exaggerate my words: he is truly a legend of American country music.
If you’ve read my reviews about him or if you know him, you know that he’s a living poster child for independent music and has been since long before the great Cody Jinks started what I’ve always defined as a “musical tsunami”.
300 dates a year up and down the United States, his own promoter and producer, always true to himself: Dallas Moore went from being a young musician with high hopes who wanted to keep alive the flame of the country of the past, to be the flame, he who many are inspired by and want to imitate.
This Gems & Jams, recorded at Sol Records Studios together with Brian DeBruler, is everything Moore is today: a great songwriter, an exceptional guitarist, a voice made for this music and a great entertainer.
An acoustic record: just him, his hoarse voice, his magnificent guitar and a handful of songs.
New pieces are placed alongside some old and now out of print pieces, which the great Texan artist by adoption takes up and plays great, giving them new life.
The album begins with the instrumental Shade Tree, where we realize that the good Dallas is also a fantastic guitarist, which leaves room for the beautiful Sing My Song, a celebration of his way of living and making music and of what he will leave as a legacy to this world.
Last Night is up-tempo and even though it’s acoustic, it has the energy of full-band country and gives plenty of emotion.
The acoustic guitar is the protagonist in a lively and energetic way, it is played with the air of someone who knows how to make it sound electric and fiery, as in the western ballad On and On Again.
One of my favorites is Best Thing I Ever Did Was You, the outlaw country flavor is very strong, but it’s no longer about taking inspiration from this or that artist: now it’s him who marks the path and will be imitated and remembered.
After seeing many live videos of his performances and after listening to these pieces, I am certain that such an artist would set fire to a stage with just him and his faithful acoustics: what energy, friends!
The songs follow one another and excite, like the intense Condemned Behind The Wall or Out The Door with its stopped rhythm and which, Moore‘s hoarse and powerful voice, guides like a rocker.
The work is long: 15 pieces for almost 45 minutes, but you get the impression of an artist who had so much fun recording this album that no piece has little energy or shouldn’t be there, on the contrary.
One gets the impression that if he had remained in the studio for 1 whole year, he would have played the last minute as if it were the first, a bit like his career: energy, poetry and desire to play 300 concerts a year with the same enthusiasm as the first day.
This is the secret that makes Dallas Moore a sure reference for American independent country music both sitting with his guitar in a studio and on stage with his wonderful band.
A singer-songwriter, a guitarist and an artist that every American music lover must have in his favorite playlist and on August 9, 2024, when this splendid album comes out, rush to listen to it, buy it, download it: because the beauty and simplicity of this music is World Heritage Site.
If you’re looking for true American country, your search has just found a “gem” not to be missed.
Happy listening,
Trex
