CD Reviews

Let’s raise a glass to evolution. Now with two live albums under their belts — the CD/DVD set Live at Antone’s follows the Band of Heathens’ 2006 debut, Live at Momo’s — fans know this rising roots-rock quintet thrives as a free-range outfit. But as shown on their very first studio album, their magic holds up under more controlled circumstances, too.

Carnival Jim struggles for purchase on a better tomorrow. “Her mother was a fat clown little dog act/She used to hit Jean till Jean hit her back,” the character explains in “Carnival Jim and Jean.” “I stole a little red guitar and some gasoline/She won’t do no better without me.” That crucial fulcrum — the pivotal moment when defeat matures into defiance — balances the weight of Eric Taylor’s lasting work. Hollywood Pocketknife might be his most enduring yet.

A little drone goes a long way, but the Black Angels, bless their hearts of darkness, aren’t taking any chances. On Directions to See a Ghost, the Austin sextet picks up right where it left off on its 2006 full-length debut, Passover, and drills even deeper into its hellish, Velvet Underground-inspired netherworld. This time around, though, they don’t muck around so much with the twisted but driving hooks that gave Passover as much substance as atmosphere.

Unless they’re trust-fund babies, major label darlings or living with significant others who have good jobs, most musicians support themselves by working in the service industry as waiters, busboys and dishwashers or as anonymous retail clerks or odd-jobbers.

Boston’s loss is Austin’s gain in transplant Jenny Reynolds, who transcends the usual and all-too-common singer-songwriter tropes to create melodically and lyrically full-blooded musical short stories and sing them with a perfectly balanced mix of authority and sensitivity.

While trying to describe Dan Dyer’s sound to a friend recently, I said, “He re-minds me of Jay Kay from from Jamiroquai.” To which my friend responded, “Oh, that Stevie Wonder sound?

Although it didn’t make her a breakout star, the self-titled 2004 debut by Maggie Walters scored exceedingly well with critics and DJs on the Austin scene. The rapturous praise was merited, too; eschewing the typical rootsy acoustic approach for a more sultry pop vibe, Walters evoked the best qualities of fellow Austin transplants Abra Moore and Patty Griffin, while firmly establishing her own voice as a sophisticated singer-songwriter worth paying attention to. Those who did will find further validation in her sophomore outing, Midwestern Hurricane, albeit with a catch.

Singer-songwriter Rex Warren may have started his music career in and around his native Amarillo, but after 18 years of living in New Mexico, he’s an unabashed new-age folkie to the core. Right or wrong, that’s the impression you’re left with on the evidence of the peaceful, easy feeling that permeates his second album.

It’s been 12 years since Kim Miller recorded her delightful six-song Child of the Big Sky, with its unforgettable title tune of a young girl’s memories of West Texas. So any musical endeavor at this point would be something of a risk.

Wry observations and mordant wit seem to be McMurtry literary traits, and by now singer-songwriter James has, in his own field, proven himself the peer of his distinguished novelist father, Larry, on those counts.