On this, their third album,
Ranch Romance recovered some of the energy that was missing from
Blue Blazes. The program opens with the defiant "Wheatfield Annie" and then proceeds to the high-octane rockabilly of "Baby's Gonna Come Back Home," and though things slow down with the prairie lament "Sweet Comfort in the Blues," they pick up immediately afterwards with a Cajun stutter-step on "Happy to See You." Guitar whiz David Keenan, who had had an on-and-off relationship with the group since its first album, is finally a fully acknowledged member of the band at this point, and his rapid-fire licks enliven "Yes, Yes, Yes" and the jazzy instrumental "Swing Twain." (He also takes over the lead vocal slot on the forgettable "Have I Ever Let You Down...Completely.") The album ends with a lovely Tex-Mex ballad entitled "Can You Really Let Go of Columbia?" Very nice. ~ Rick Anderson