Bruce Robison And Kelly Willis
Album: Our Year
Label: Thirty Tigers
Tracks: 10
Website: http://bruceandkellyshow.com/

One of the more pleasing developments in Country music of recent times has been the revival of the traditional Country duet, in the style of George and Tammy, Johnny and June and Porter and Dolly, not forgetting Gram and Emmylou, of course. Here in the UK, this revival has been spearheaded by the wonderful My Darling Clementine, who have made two classic duet albums, in "How Do You Plead" and "The Reconciliation". Over in the USA, the torch has been taken up by another husband and wife team, Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis, from Texas.

In 2013 they made the critically acclaimed duet album "Cheaters Game" and now they have followed it up with another in the shape of "Our Year". Of the need to make a follow-up so soon after "Cheaters Game", Kelly says "These songs have been poking us on the shoulder, dying to be heard. We just didn't feel like we were done. We had more to say".

Indeed, this is a collection of excellent songs, some original, some "standards", beautifully sung and played.

The album gets off to a flying start with "Departing Louisiana", which was written by Bruce's sister Robyn Ludwick, which features Bruce on lead vocals with sparkling harmonies from Kelly, over a glorious combination of dobro, mandolin and harmonica.

Kelly takes lead vocals on Walter Hyatt's bluesy, harmonica-laden tribute to the American automobile industry "Motor City Man". The song bemoans the decline of the industry and the effect on its workers. As an aside, Walter Hyatt tragically died in 1996 when ValuJet Flight 592 crashed in the Everglades.

"Carousel" which was written by Bruce and Darden Smith is a classic tears-in-your beer Country waltz, complete with weepy pedal steel and fiddle which recalls George Jones at his best. Great stuff.

Bruce and Kelly's harmonies really shine through on the Everly Brothers-ish "Lonely For You", which was written by Bruce and Englishman [from Merseyside !]Paul Kennerly. Paul is perhaps best known for his two Country concept albums "White Mansions" and "The Legend of Jesse James", as well as his work with his former wife, Emmylou Harris.

The following track "A Hanging On" also has an Emmylou connection, as she and the late Vern "The Voice" Gosdin had a US country hit with the song [written by Ira Allen and Buddy Mize] in 1976. Needless to say, Bruce and Kelly do a great job of harmonising on this classic Country duet.

T-Bone Burnett is, of course, well-known as a producer but he is also a superb songwriter as demonstrated on the gloriously melancholy "Shake Yourself Loose" which features some tremendous duet singing from Kelly and Bruce which reminds me of the classic work of Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris on the "GP" and "Grievous Angel" albums. If this doesn't have you crying into your Bud, nothing will.

Undoubtedly, the best known song on this album is Tom T.Hall's "Harper Valley PTA", which was a massive worldwide hit for Jeannie C.Riley in 1968 [it even reached number 12 in the UK charts]. Apparently, Kelly learned the song in secret "in order to zing her husband for veering off the set list during one of their shared performances". Whatever, Kelly gives a most convincing performance of this classic tale of a mother exposing the hypocrisy inherent in the aforementioned PTA.

Bruce and Monte Warden co-wrote "Anywhere But Here", a recollection of youthful innocence which pursues similar themes to Jackson Browne's early songs about his childhood and it is none the worse for that.

It's back to traditional country for the Statler Brothers' "I'll Go To My Grave Loving You", which starts off slowly before building into a toe-tapping fiddle and pedal steel-driven hoedown.

The title of the album ["Our Year"] has an unlikely [for a country album] source. Its full title is "This Will Be Our Year" and it comes from The Zombies' wonderful psychedelic-baroque-pop album "Odessey and Oracle" which was recorded in 1967 but not released until 1968.The Zombies were[and still are] one of my favourite bands and it's great to hear this beautifully optimistic song [which was written by bassist Chris White] in a totally different setting from the one with which I am familiar. This version features banjo and pedal steel and is a great, upbeat way to end what is a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding album from Bruce and Kelly. Highly recommended to lovers of "proper" country music !

Peter Cowley