Vintage Review: The Cactus Brothers' The Cactus Brothers (1993)

The Nashville rock ‘n’ roll scene of the mid-’80s was an exciting and invigorating tonic of youthful innocence and energy, with unbridled creativity matched by awkward inexperience. One the many bands working to define this scene and garner world-wide critical acclaim (albeit without commercial success) was Walk The West. One of the area’s most popular outfits, these country-influenced rockers hung up their spurs at decade’s end. Their achievements included an excellent self-titled album for Capital (which has become a bona-fide collector’s item) and the creation of an innovative hybrid of country and rock which owed as much, thematically, to Johnny Cash as to the Byrds and Gram Parsons.

The nucleus of that band has been reincarnated as the Cactus Brothers, and both sides of the rock/country equation are much better for it. Their self-titled Liberty Records debut manages to capture the intimacy and acoustic-oriented style which made the Cactus Brothers a live draw equally as popular as their predecessors ever were. This is a band awash in instrumental talent, from master dulcimer player David Schnaufer to dobroist Sam Poland, from the multi-talented Tramp to the Goleman Brothers, Paul Kirby, and drummer David Kennedy...and they make the most of the talent they’ve got.

The music here is a hybrid of country roots and rock spirit, with covers like Merle Travis’ “Sixteen Tons” and the Everly Brothers “The Price of Love” performed in a manner unlike any you’ve ever heard. Traditional instrumentals such as “Fisher’s Hornpipe” and “Blackberry Blossom” showcase the band’s musical abilities while the originals fall somewhere in between. Whereas singer/songwriter Paul Kirby comes across like a stone-cold country crooner on material like “Bubba Bubba” or “Crazy Heart,” songs like “Devil Wind” and “Big Train” are strongly reminiscent of Walk The West’s best stuff. All in all, The Cactus Brothers is a solid album, a fine introduction to a highly talented group of guys who have the vision, the skills, and the hard-won experience to achieve whatever they wish. (The Metro, 1993)