Album Review - The Brooklyn Cowboys: Dodging Bullets
by Jennifer Webb
On their last album, the Brooklyn Cowboys were Doing Time On Planet Earth, but now they are Dodging Bullets. Thankfully though, they should not have to dodge any negativity about this Americana-type album that fans are sure to embrace.
With a rollicking guitar intro, "I Was Wrong" kicks off the album in true Brooklyn Cowboys style. The song covers a classic topic for country songs - dealing with a broken heart. The guy says that if he would have known what she wanted he would have treated her better instead of being so bad that they had to split up.
"Trick Ponies," a song about the ups and downs of a performer, has a Hank Williams III vocal sound to it which is something different that was not heard on the Brooklyn Cowboys last album. Wherever the man goes and whatever he does he is always wishing that things could be easier for him instead of experiencing a rollercoaster ride everyday.
Title track, "Dodging Bullets," features a great slide guitar as Lona Heins joins in on the song's vocals. Even if you feel fortunate and blessed, sometimes in life individuals feel like they are just going through the motions dodging bullets as they anticipate what will happen for them tomorrow or another day in the future.
Walking the lonely streets in "The City Is Different (Without You In It)," will not help the man feel any better as his old flame is flying above him in the plane she just boarded a few minutes before. Remembering the good times only makes him feel worse as he vows that he will never stop missing her. As he is driving home he notices that the glittery city lights have lost their sparkle just like his life seemingly has.
"I Stand Accused" is a good honky tonk tune with its upbeat tempo and great guitar licks. The man denies that he ever lied to the woman or treated her fairly, yet says that the woman will believe what she is going to and there is nothing he can do about it - as long as he knows the truth he will make it just fine. If she ever feels lonely, he says that she can call him because he still "loves her so, even though it is time for her to go" and wants to do the right thing.
A man having enough of putting up with his girl's lies is the topic of "What You Call Love." A man can only put up with so many lies before it reaches the breaking point so he says he wants her pack up her things and get out of the house. When he lies in bed at night he cannot even imagine why she said the things she did that caused so much pain and heartache because he considers himself to be a decent guy.
Member Walter Egan wrote or co-wrote most of the songs ("I Was Wrong" and "Hey Juanica" to name a few), and Joy Lynn White lent her voice to "The City Is Different (Without You In It)" and "Someone You Can Live With." What I like about Dodging Bullets is that in one song you could hear a dobro and the next would have twin fiddles or a steel guitar - those instruments help put the country in country music and I am glad they are not just in there to be in there. You can tell the instruments are meant to be heard and I think that is great.
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