A second outing for the boys of Texas Hill and it is great to see that they still have the quality level set to 11! It was always going to be hard following a single with the intensity and beauty of their debut "Darkest Sky" but in many ways they've succeeded with a song setting heartbreak to the bounciest of honky tonk tunes. In essence though the key things that make this band so promising is their simplicity, there is no room for fake click tracks, or swathes of electronica, what you see is what you get which is refreshing in itself.
From the opening 2 second piano riff ( which could be a little in joke as to how fine the lady of the song is as it gives a passing nod to the opening to Eddie Cochran's "Somethin' Else" ) the tune becomes a glorious honky tonk with the requisite piano and great contributions on both pedal steel and electric guitars. It has something of an instantly likeable quality to it that is impossible to resist.
Lyrically the song is something of a game of 2 halves, the first half being the pursuit and capture of his sweetheart, which goes well until the third line of the first chorus, with the second half of the song very much more focused on the break up. If anything the warning signs are there in that first verse when you have to give
"All I had to keep her by my side" working "night and day to put some money down on a little white house at the edge of town" however by the end of the first verse they are married - what could possibly go wrong?.
The second verse quickly addresses that question opening with the somewhat stark admission
"She was bound to leave no matter how I tried - now I miss her so bad I'm going out of my mind" and there's a nice touch where the days of drinking and heartbreak come out in a line delivered with some vitriol
"I guess everything I gave her meant nothing at all" which gives the whole song that extra touch of grit and feeling.
With a wonderful chorus that plays out key moments in the relationship defined by roses ( 3 floral, one in a bottle ) to sweet harmonies, it all goes to make a successful follow up for Texas Hill.