Even before former
Lonesome Strangers member
Randy Weeks packed up and moved from Los Angeles to Austin and took up with producer
Will Sexton, his style as a songwriter and performer made him a spiritual resident of that Texas sanctuary for smart, country-tinged singer/songwriters. On the evidence of his fourth solo album,
Going My Way, however, he's still a bit of a Hollywood cowboy or, to put it another way, as Texas songwriters go, more
Buddy Holly than
Townes Van Zandt.
Sexton provides a tight little country-rock band playing catchy guitar-driven pop/rock, over which
Weeks sings his songs of romantic ups and downs in a clear, nasal voice that could get him into
They Might Be Giants if that duo ever wanted to become a trio.
Weeks' songs are full of wry observations about the war between the sexes in which his persona is a bit of a footloose type, notably on the infectious title tune, which is a list song about various women the narrator has encountered along the road. The tone stays consistently buoyant, and a catchy chorus or a tasty guitar solo is never far away.
Weeks pays the bills with the songs of his that have been covered by others (notably
Lucinda Williams' version of "Can't Let Go" on
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road), and there are some here that could increase his royalty checks, such as "The One Who Wore My Ring," which any number of country stars could score a hit with, and "Get Me to the Shelter," which is tailor-made for
Willie Nelson. But
Weeks himself plays the songs effectively, and he is deserving of much greater recognition as a performer. ~ William Ruhlmann