Various Artists

Cool Blue Outlaws: Rogues,
Rascals, and Rapscallions

Heartache and loss are, perhaps, the most common underlying themes to country and bluegrass songs. But most frequently, the stories themselves revolve around bandits, outlaws, and thieves. Sometimes, it’s to relay a moral. Sometimes it’s to find sympathy in the downtrodden. And sometimes, it’s just to entertain.

Such are the songs of Cool Blue Outlaws, a compilation of sorts from the exquisite Sugar Hill catalog. As with most of the label’s compilations, highlights abound. On Ruby Ridge, Peter Rowan revisits the scene of the infamous FBI shootout; Ronnie Bowman (with help from Union Station’s Dan Tyminski) tears into Jailhouse Blues with a vengeance; and The Seldom Scene show off their vocal and instrumental brilliance on Woody Guthrie’s Philadelphia Lawyer (just listen to those gorgeous harmonies and that stirring bass line!). In other words, although this isn’t exactly the definitive collection of outlaw songs, it does shed some light on those that might have been forgotten.

1 Star:   Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!