“Back to the Barrooms,” by The Barroom Buddies: back to the honky tonks!

This month, The Barroom Buddies Band’s new album was presented at El Barn d’en Greg, and they promise it will be a huge party with many surprises for all their fans. This group, which is on its way to becoming an authentic country legend in Spain, backed by their impeccable career, solidity, and distinctive personality, has a large fan base throughout Spain, France, and Italy.In addition to their love for country music and this wonderful career, they are pioneers of honky tonk in our country, a core style within country music. And Mario Travis (Mario Boronat), leader, composer, and vocalist of the Catalan band, who is one of the biggest country music collectors in Spain, puts his personal stamp on every album they release and on the carefully curated musical selection.

And today they present us with this entire honky tonk declaration, «Back to the Barrooms,» back to the saloons, to the bars, to the honky tonks… A wise, entertaining, and fun mix of songs that gathers great country moments with refreshing new sounds from the 6 songs composed by Travis.

The album, recorded at Panorama studios and produced by Xavi Ollé, has two powerful singles streaming. First was «Going Down To Texas,» composed by the legendary Shel Silverstein (composer of Johnny Cash’s «A Boy Named Sue»), a clear sign that one of the intentions of these boisterous bar buddies is to transport us on their long play to the Lone Star State, with a lot of energy and good honky tonk vibes. By the way, the video for this song premiered yesterday:

And the next single, «City Boy,» which opens this new work, talks about all of us who live in cities with the country lifestyle in our veins.

«The Long Way of My Life,» with Haggardian echoes, is another reflection by Travis on life and everything we leave behind on life’s roads. Just like «Smell The Flowers,» which awakens images of Hank Williams strolling absorbed through his personal garden of memories. The Barrooms fantastically «countrify» Rod Stewart’s «Big Bayou» and feature Jodie Cash in a duet. And they successfully venture once again into the treacherous swamps of Louisiana with «Cajun Baby.»

But as we said, the strong suit of these bar mates is honky tonk with powerful tracks like «Turn the Record Over,» the protest song «Nashville is no Place for a Country Boy» (a duet with Xavi Oller), or the aforementioned first single «Going Back To Texas.»

The BB’s repertoire also couldn’t be without a song by a true outlaw like Johnny Paycheck, «She’s All I Got,» later popularized, among others, by Tracy Byrd, incorporating a retro touch with a trumpet and a seventies flavor.

What strikes me about this album are the carefully crafted solos in songs like the bucolic and rambling «The Lonely Side of Town,» another of the great compositions by Mario Travis and his boys, Jim Bass Countrymusic (bass), Krant Slowfingers (electric guitar), Llibert Valls (drums), José González (fiddle), and Magda Ullate (backing vocals), plus the addition for this work of Dwight Breland (pedal steel guitar), #LegaTelecaster (lap steel), Juan Urbina (trumpet), and Xavi Oller (backing vocals). Or their ability to adapt and make their own songs like those mentioned by Rod Stewart and Shel Silverstein, or Willie’s classic «Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys,» included in the soundtrack of «The Electric Horseman» (1979), starring the recently deceased Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, and Willie himself, which our Catalan friends take on an 18-wheeler to travel the roads of our country with impudence and good vibes. Finally, there is a tribute to the also deceased Flaco Jiménez with «El Troquero,» with a country rock beat.

With «Back to the Barrooms,» the Barroom Buddies not only pay homage to their influences but continue to forge their own paths, solidifying their status as masters of country in Spain. This meticulously detailed album demonstrates that their commitment to the genre is unwavering.

In short, «Back to the Barrooms» is much more than just a return. It is the consolidation of the Barroom Buddies as guardians of country and honky tonk in Spain and a vibrant testament to their love for our music. With this album, they reaffirm their legacy and show us that, no matter how many years pass, there will always be a place where country hearts will continue to beat strongly in the bar, on the road, or in their songs.

For CD purchases or to book the band, please contact:
mbarroom@gmail.com

By Andoni Urkiaga

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