The Hanson Family - Rhythm Rides Again
In this week's episode, we're featuring a 2019 release from Oregon's The Hanson Family: "Rhythm Rides Again". Packed full of "western swing, cowboy yodelling and blazing harmony" (as one reviewer wrote) the sibling trio add fresh life to some of western music's most revered staples. Adding an infectious western swing element to the music, Lisa, Theresa and Daniel Hanson have grown up singing together and their impeccable harmonies are testament to that fact. Their second full length album since slimming down the family band to just three - these tracks are delightfully arranged and pleasing to the ear. Hailey Sandoz joins Lisa Hanson on fiddle, Randy Travis' steeler (amongst many others) Gary Carter adds some licks to the mix and Dallas-based Rich O'Brien lends his Latin-flavoured guitar to the real gem of this album: the delightfully obscure "Beside The Rio Tonto Shore". Originally appearing as sung by "The Merry Macs" in a 1942 Abbott & Costello comedy western called "Ride 'Em Cowboy", The Hanson Family revingorate this lost but lonesome gem in what may well be the first time it's been recorded since it's '42 debut. Other highlights include a rollicking arrangement of Stuart Hamblen's "Texas Plains"; a great western medley they're calling "Trail Mix" and an original from the pen of Western Swing Authority's Shane Guse in "Swingtime Lullaby". Two words to describe this album? Bright and fresh!