Most Americans assume that the only place where one could find a real cowboy is on TV. While the breed is certainly scarcer in the 21st century, Waddie Mitchell is walking, talking proof that honest to God cowboys still exist. He's also intent on preserving Western traditions. That No Quit Attitude, however, doesn't romanticize the Western plains with close harmony and songs of the coyote's lonesome call. Instead, Mitchell recites original poetry, cataloguing the life he's lived growing up and working on ranches in the West. When he talks about horses, as he does in "Who but the Horse," he doesn't just give an idealized picture of the happy cowboy riding along with his tried and true companion. Instead, his poem offers a lengthy rumination on the life of a horse. There's plenty of humor on That No Quit Attitude. "Don" recalls a contemporary story of a man in the supermarket who -- as some people are wont to do -- unloads his opinions on unsuspecting bystanders. It's fascinating how Mitchell is able to juxtapose old and new values while still keeping his distance from the material. There are life lessons ("Harsh Words"), biscuit recipes ("Bisquits and Gravy"), and, surprisingly, reflections on suicide ("Through the Pain"). Waddie Mitchell's poetry runs as deep as the Colorado River and as wide as the Grand Canyon, and That No Quit Attitude provides an in-depth portrait of a fading way of life.
© Ronnie D. Lankford Jr. /TiVo