Michael Martin Murphey - Cowboy Songs IV

When people think of Michael Martin Murphey (who also shows up on some of his albums as Michael Murphey), they tend to think of him as a crossover artist and his trademark song "Wildfire". Deep down, however, Mr. Murphey is that same young man who sang the great old cowboy songs around the campfires of the Old Sky Ranch in Lewisville, Texas. He still owns and works a ranch and is very dedicated to the preservation of the songs of the Old West.

Cowboy Songs IV is very much about preserving and building an understanding of what is going on in our West today. There are some wonderful, true-to-tradition trail songs on here, coupled with R.W. Hampton's superb "Born to be a Cowboy" covered by Murph. The Trail Song Medley is a superb composition and speaks to the level of respect Mr. Murphey has for these songs.

Cowboy Songs IV is not all about the traditional West, though. Mr. Murphey has included songs that capture modern scenes and sentiments within our West as well. "Born to Buck Bad Luck" captures the feeling of excitement found in a Cowboy Bar following the rodeo, and it's got real energy to it. The headlining song on this album, though, is "Rangeland Rebel," which gives voice to the Cowboys and Cowmen who resent encroachment on their land by urban development.

This album also revives a wonderful old time Western album tradition, that of having a "Bunkhouse Orchestra" segment. A Bunkhouse Orchestra is a nice little fiddle medley used to "change gears" on musical themes within an album.

Item Number: MMM-CS4

Compact Disc

Price: $17.95

Listen to More Music     Browse Other Items