McKay Brothers – Cold Beer & Hot Tamales
The McKay Brothers, Hollis and Noel, hail from Bandera, Texas, so it’s no surprise that they display an affinity for tall tales of longnecks and roughnecks similar to fellow Banderans Robert Earl Keen and Charlie Robison. While fast living tunes such as “Bottle Of Fire” and “Lock And Key” revel in a youthful exuberance, the brothers reveal a wiser-than-their-years sense of storytelling on the cautionary jail tale “Making License Plates”, their home state ode “The Disappearing Texas”, and the ’60s-set oilrigger saga “Port Artur”. When Hollis handles the lead vocals on slower songs such as “7th Day” and “Bandera Style”, a BoDeans-like harmony quality surfaces. Brother Noel, meanwhile, convincingly sings a pair of bilingual numbers, “Texas Heart, Mexican Soul” and “Acompaneme”, tunes that give the disc a distinctive quality. Packed with some truly refreshing music, Cold Beer & Hot Tamales places the McKay Brothers among the next generation of talented Texas troubadours.