MUSIC NEWS NASHVILLE
author: Chuck Dauphin
This son of a teacher and a Baptist preacher, one would assume that Jerry Lee Surber would tend to paint inside the lines most of the time. Even so, there's a very eclectic feel to the music that he presents on WRANGLER. There's a little bit of Texas roadhouse sounds on the CD's opener, the title cut. Then he takes a turn to the light-and-easy "Keep On Dancin", which should be a favorite on many dance floors in the Lone Star state. Vocally, I prefer the ballads on this disc, and he's got some good ones. There's a vulnerability in the story song "He Left Her Standin" that he pulls off quite nicely, and strikes a romantic chord in "Kiss Me Back". The up-tempo fare stands up pretty well though. "So There" adds a little bit of funk to his style, and "Try To Go The Distance Together", the albums best cut, tips a hat to 70's acts like Poco, America, and the Eagles. I don't know if Surber would be as effective delivering this material ten or twenty years ago, as he hadn't lived these experiences yet. With his age and wisdom, these songs definitely sound like they are coming straight from the heart.....and that's what sets them apart!!!!!!
