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The Shootouts (from the album Bullseye available on Soundly Music) (by Brian Rock)
Country revivalists, The Shootouts, unholster their second album, Bullseye. Produced by BR5-49 frontman, Chuck Mead, Bullseye takes aim at Classic Country styles like Texas Swing, Outlaw Country, traditional ballads, and just a touch of Rockabilly. With Mead’s steady hand on the trigger, the band hits the mark with nearly every shot. With a driving rhythm section and flourishes of steel guitar, The Shootouts are at their best when running at high gear. Fan favorite, “Rattlesnake Whiskey”, showcases that high energy sound. With its locomotive paced drumming and spaghetti Western guitars, the band tells a cinematic story of a boy raised by a moonshiner. The lead guitar recalls the Southern Rock sounds of The Outlaws while the steel guitar adds dramatic flourishes of foreshadowing as they sing ‘we both know that the end is near. Could be tomorrow, could be today; but this rattlesnake whiskey’s gonna kill me either way’. “Saturday Night Town” keeps the pace up with a fiddle-driven Outlaw Country ode to the weekend. “Everything I Know” is a Marty Stuart inspired bit of “Hillbilly Rock” featuring gorgeous lead guitar riffs. Hurt by a faithless lover, the band sing ‘I played the fool while your heart strayed. But I learned some tricks along the way’ as ‘another love goes up in flames’. “Hurt Heartbroke” and “I Don’t Think About You Anymore,” are blistering Rockabilly rave ups that put the fun back in dysfunctional relationships. The Shootouts bring the Honky Tonk on “Here Come the Blues”. They even manage to combine Texas Swing and Cajun on “Waiting on You”. Lead singer Ryan Humbert’s Clint Black style vocals have a pure tone that helps convey the enthusiasm of the rockin’ tunes. But The Shootouts also have a softer side which they display on the ballads “I Still Care”, “Forgot to Forget”, and “Another Mother”. The latter of which is a touching tribute to Humbert’s own mother, who passed away in 2018. More broadly, it is a reminder to “always say I love you. Call her every day. Find the time to find the time to thank her in every way. ‘Cause it could all change in an minute. So, count the blessings that she grew. ‘Cause you don’t get another mother when her time here is through’. From touching ballads to twangy Honky-Tonkers, The Shootouts are crack shots at every style of Country music they set their sights on. (by Brian Rock) Listen and buy the music of The Shootouts from AMAZON For more information, head to The Shootouts website
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