Released on Wild Oats Records in 2005.

As a band, Gail and the Tricksters have existed for several years - playing not only for their local Nashville crowd but for audiences around the world - but Dare to Be Different is the first Trickster's release to feature Walter Egan on guitar.

As a die hard Walter Egan fan, I almost expected not to like this album. After all, Walter neither sang nor wrote any of its twelve songs. Instead, he took a backseat to the group's leader, Gail Lloyd. He explained it this way, "They needed a lead player and I filled that need. I like just playing guitar and not worrying about carrying the show sometimes."

Now that I've listened to the cd, it seems I really didn't need to worry. I can't say that I'd rank it anywhere near Egan's solo work or that of the Malibooz, but the album is a fun, catchy mix of rockabilly, blues, and rock 'n' roll. Gail Lloyd's strong vocals compliment the music well, but don't expect any deep, poignant, or introspective lyrics (with the possible exception of the final verse of "Wet Sand"). As titles such as "Rockabilly Robots" and "Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" suggest, this is meant to be a light-hearted record. Favorites are "Pink Slip" with its hint of surf, "Evil Grows," and "Wet Sand" with Walter's - as Gail describes it in the album's liner notes - "Sheik of Araby" guitar part.