Loose Diamonds – Fresco Fiasco
Sometimes all it takes is not to try so hard.
From the moment they moved to Austin from their hometown of Dayton, Ohio, in the late ’80s (back then they were called the Highwaymen, before Willie & Waylon & the boys heisted that moniker), it’s been clear that brothers Troy and Mike Campbell had a good thing going — one that got even better when they hooked up with guitarist Jud Newcomb, whose talent has grown by leaps and bounds since his earliest days with the group. But after a promising debut EP a few years back, Loose Diamonds released two albums on the Antone’s/Dos label that hinted at the group’s greatness yet never quite captured the feel of what they were all about.
This time out, they seem to have gone into the studio without worrying much about living up to their long-stressed potential, but rather just to have fun. The result, a laid-back, mostly acoustic seven-song affair, is the most natural, unaffected, and just plain enjoyable disc they’ve released to date.
Part of the success is attributable to song selection. Though both Newcomb and Troy Campbell have a certain amount of songwriting talent, they also have an extensive knowledge of other fine roots material waiting to be revived. They fare better picking only the best of their own efforts (each wrote one track on Fresco Fiasco, and they collaborated on one other) and combining them with well-chosen covers.
And I do mean well-chosen. Campbell’s rich vocals are a perfect fit for “I Know You”, the leadoff track penned by Al Strehli, a lesser-known member of the Lubbock mafia who seems to be finally getting some long-overdue recognition (Jimmie Dale Gilmore has covered a couple of his songs on each of his last two albums). Newcomb follows that with a sweet soul tune, “You Keep Me (Hangin’ On)”, on which his rough, heartfelt vocals are balanced in a heavenly duet with Toni Price’s beautiful swoon. And a righteously ragged version of the old Stanley Brothers hit “Stone Walls and Steel Bars” serves as a perfect closing cut, sounding as live and as loose as the scene from which this band sprung. And that’s what it’s all about.