Bill Wence
kicks off
Songs from the Rocky Fork Tavern
with the easy rocking
"Angelene,"
a likable song that captures the tension between true love and the open road. The lyric looks back with regret, with the narrator coming to terms with just what he's lost; the upbeat cadence, however, sounds as free as the open road, revealing just how attractive the myth of the open road remains, even when it turns out to be empty.
"What Do You Think About Me and You"
follows, and it's a relaxed,
Jimmy Buffett
-styled love song.
Wence
had penned most of the material on
and enjoys getting to the emotional heart of the matter. In
"Old Rock and Roller"
he tells the tale of an aging musician, committed to his lifestyle though he knows that time is no longer on his side. All of these songs are enhanced by
's emotive vocals and a sympathetic, gently rocking band. There are
ballads
dedicated to love lost like
"She's Leavin' for Dallas"
and more upbeat paeans to misery like
David Oxford
/
Tommy Allen
's
"Honky Tonk Heartache."
Like
Buffett
and a number of the better singer/songwriters from the early '70s,
has a down-to-earth, non-pretentious manner that makes his music easy to like. With solid songs, arrangements, and vocals,
is also easy to recommend. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.