Page 29 - ION Indie Magazine JulyAugust 2020

I have to admit, when I first saw “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,”
I was very, very, skeptical. You may initially think the same. Once the song begins, though,
you’ll find that this is an innovative spin on an old classic. Fast- paced and guitar lick-
laden, I actually enjoyed this track much more than the original track by Willie Nelson and
Waylon Jennings. It’s not a “bang your head” track, nor is it meant to be. But at the forty-
second mark, it became an attention-grabber for me.

If you remember Atlanta Rhythm Section, a band formed around 1970, you will recall their
huge hit “Homesick.” The Ron Keel Band absolutely slays this song. It should undeniably
be a radio hit in 2020 or 2021. It lacks nothing. I feel strongly about this enough to say that
if there is a rock station that will not spin this, they should lose their broadcast rights. I see
this as an epic live show closing encore song that will properly cap off a memorable night
of exceptional music.

With “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” originally performed by The Outlaws, Ron Keel totally nails
it. The track seems to draw further on the strengths of the band, with upbeat, guitar-driven
music and voracious vocals to match. There should be a “love” button to hit when this
song is playing!

While I appreciate the Creedence Clearwater Revival medley which closed out the album,
when you are covering John Fogerty’s unique vocals, there is a big part of me that wants
to hear just that unmistakable sound. With that said, somehow, the band puts together
such a solid effort in making each part of the medley their own, that my yearning for
Fogerty quickly dissipated and I found myself engrossed in the mix of these classic tracks.

A synopsis of this album is that it’s done beyond well. While I’m provided digital versions
of these tracks gratis, I went over to www.highvolmusic.com and bought myself the CD
and T-shirt bundle. I would suggest you do the same. If you prefer your music digitally,
you can buy it at the usual places, i.e. Amazon Music and iTunes. Don’t forget to check
out our next edition when I will have a full-length interview with Ron Keel. It’s going to be
about much more than music. You are not going to want to miss it!