The Flatlanders Treasure Of Love 2LP

TAS Rated 4.5/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics in the December 2021 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

Almost 50 years after the sessions that would make them an "accidental Texas supergroup" (Rolling Stone), The Flatlanders have returned with Treasure of Love, their first new album in more than a decade. Completed during COVID-19 lockdowns with the help of longtime friend and collaborator Lloyd Maines, the record finds the iconic trio of Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock in classic form, serving up a rollicking collection of twang-fueled, harmony-laden performances full of wry humor and raw heartbreak. While a few songs here are never-before-heard originals, the vast majority of the tracklist consists of tunes the band picked up during their half-century together, some stretching as far back as the group's earliest performances in the honkytonks around Lubbock, TX, where you might have spotted Willie Nelson or Townes Van Zandt in the audience.

All three Flatlanders sing with an enthusiasm that's honestly engaging, and their voices are in admirably good shape on these sessions (especially Ely, who delivers 'I Don't Blame You' and 'Moanin' of the Midnight Train' with a force that would be noteworthy in a man half his age). You might think you don't need to hear another cover of either 'Give My Love to Rose' or 'She Belongs to Me,' but Hancock and Gilmore, respectively, deliver them with a plain-spoken conviction that shows how much they love singing them, and it's hard to imagine anyone not getting caught up in their passion and their charm.

When approaching the Flatlanders you best believe in magic, because that's the upshot of Butch Hancock, Joe Ely, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore convening to make music together... In addition to a handful of memorable originals (including an instant Flatlanders classic in Hancock's gritty, howling, blues-drenched album opener, 'Moanin' of the Midnight Train,' delivered ferociously by Ely), the fellows assay gems from sources close to their hearts. Johnny Cash's heart-tugging Sun gem, 'Give My Love to Rose,' Hancock renders with weary, weathered despair underscored by producer Lloyd Maines' gently weeping steel. A southwestern-ized, stomping treatment of Dylan's 'She Belongs to Me' is driven by Jimmie Dale's seething vocal limning a brutal putdown not often apparent in more delicately rendered treatments. Songs by the Everlys, Mississippi Sheiks, George Jones, and the Big Bopper are similarly transformed - as if by magic - by the passion and intelligence informing every Flatlanders outpouring.