Richard Elloyan & Steve Wade - Up For Adoption

Literal nuts-and-bolts terrain description songs can be an embarrassingly slippery slope that many artists have plunged down.  Richard Elloyan is one of the few who can get away with it and, for the life of me, I'm not exactly sure how!!  Just such a song (“Sunrise Side Of The Sierras”) leads off Richard Elloyan & Steve Wade's newest offering.  It's dedicated to the late Steve Swinford, Elloyan's fast friend, collaborator and producer of most of his past releases.

The title track “Up For Adoption” continues Elloyan's long-time focus on the plight of and empathy for Nevada's mustangs. Other picks this time include “Ranch Rendezvous,” the eerie song “Lady Of The Gallows,” “Blood & Gunsmoke,” the poetically artful “Orphan Drover” and “Rubies In The Moon” ( a Nevada mountain scene Elloyan would know well).  And a couple of non-Western tracks should be mentioned as well (“The Man Who Never Will” and “I Hope She's Lonely Tonight”).

Richard Elloyan's releases always have some worthy messages and this one is no exception.   Recommended.  Eleven tracks.

CD: (available through www.richardelloyan.net and also most online services incl.

Cdbaby,Amazon and iTunes)

 - by Rick Huff