Prairie Oyster – Only One Moon
“Only One Moon” by Canada’s own Prairie Oyster is one of the finer examples of ballroom country, a solid record with a wide variety of song styles made coherent through the strength of the band.
Prairie Oyster is one of the exceptions in country music, a band who writes most of their own material, and they handle the job well enough. From the zydeco of “Louisette,” to the Roy Orbison influenced “Such a Lonely One,” The original material is strong, and the covers, from the western swing of “Ancient History,i to the honky-tonkin of Alan Jackson and Lucinda Williamsi waltz, make for one of the few records that could be played at a barndance straight through. The only exception to this is “Did You Fall In Love With Me,” a beautiful Gordon Lightfoot-esque love song. The high point is the title song, a declarative cry of love to someone you hope is listening.
What ties this up in a neat little package is the band itself. Russell DeCarle has a strong voice, somewhere between Raul Malo and George Strait, and the band is selfless, allowing everyone to star from time to time.
iOnly One Mooni has all the elements of a quality Music City product, but the separation from Nashville is probably what allows it to shine. The only thing that separates iMooni from the rest of country is that the CD is eqid like a rock record, probably due to it being released on a non-Nashville label.