It had been a long time since I just had fun listening to an album, but the Shootout’s latest album, Bullseye, was just that; 13 new tracks of pure fun! I truly enjoyed this album because of their unique sound, which I like to refer to as being vintage western swing brought into the 21st century, yet still being very true to those roots.

For a sophomore album, what impressed me the most is that they remained true to their sound. Many groups, when achieving success on their first release, feel that they must do something over the top to beat their previous achievement. When those groups do this, they seem to lose something in their sound and in their souls. The Shootouts remained true to themselves and their sound, which their fans greatly appreciate.

A good number of the 13 new songs have a great beat for dancing to. That being said, they are just as good to just sit and listen to as well. In any case, it will put a smile on your face.

The 13 tracks are:

I Don’t Think About You Anymore

Rattlesnake Whiskey

Another Mother

Hurt Heartbroke

Bullseye

Here Come The Blues

Everything I Know

Waiting On You

Missing The Mark

I Still Care

Forgot To Forget

Saturday Night Town

Another Mother (Acoustic Version – 45 Bonus Track)

“Rattlesnake Whiskey” has a sinister and dark tone. Though it is a fun piece to listen to, telling the story of moonshine running from the perspective of someone who was born into the business, the song manages to bring you in like you are part of the family. The guitar intro has such a cool, open sky, western feel. It is very much akin to something you would have heard in an old Clint Eastwood or John Wayne western. It quickly picks up pace and the whole band kicks in. The pedal steel really starts to shine here, even though it is used for more of an effect. My favorite line in the song is, “We are doing God’s work, daddy told me / Selling moonshine over seven counties.”

“Another Mother” is one of the sweeter, yet serious pieces of the album. It is such a tribute to one of the most underpaid and underappreciated jobs this world has ever seen, that of a mother. The singer is fondly reliving memories of his mother: how he remembers her caring for and watching over him and his siblings. He hits you with a knife to the chest with, “She taught me all the good things that I’d need / except living in a world with just her memory.”

Even though my mom has been gone for over a decade, that hit hard and, frankly, as I continue to write this part of the review, it gets harder. Ultimately, the message of this song is something we all should remember, “So always say I love you / Call her every day / Find the time, to find the time, to thank her in every way / Cause’ it can all change in a minute / So count the blessings that she grew / ‘Cause you don’t get another mother when her time here is through.”

“Bullseye,” the title track, is a highlight in this album as it is purely an instrumental piece. And it is some fantastic playing. This one makes you want to get up and move! The guitar and pedal steel are the standouts in this piece. I do not usually make this type of comparison but the first time I heard it, a few bars into this song, I half expected to hear Dale Watson start singing. If this song was written just to get couples onto the floor, you hit the “Bullseye!” As a nod to the band, that was some very clean and tight playing, y’all. Well done!

“Saturday Night Town,” the name says it all. The guy is saving up his pay to blow it all for fun on a Saturday night. This song excels with a fast beat, great guitar playing, driving pedal steel, and some fantastic fiddle work. The lyrics shine and paint a picture of a place you want to be on a Saturday night. “The Sheriff is in the bar buyin’ rounds / But just don’t tell his wife / When she starts to call / Nobody make a sound / ‘Cause he’ll never live it down / Livin’ in a Saturday Night Town.” According to the song, even the reverend is OK with this wild party as long as you are in church on Sunday morning. Sounds like a place where I’d like to live!

Again, I can not express enough how much fun it was for me to get to review Bullseye. The Shootouts are the kind of band that I love to hear. One with such an original sound and, yet, so well anchored in the history of country music that they still manage to stand out among their peers in all realms of what is called “country” today. Yeah, I did mean to put quotes around that and most of you know exactly what I am inferring. So, on April 30th, run, don’t walk to your favorite place to get music and buy yourself a copy of Bullseye. You won’t be disappointed.

Tour Schedule:

https://www.shootoutsmusic.com/tour-dates

You can find out more about The Shootouts here: