Chris LeDoux - Cowboy

Chris LeDoux's friend Garth Brooks was just 11 when LeDoux made his first LP in 1973. Since then, his earthy simplicity has given him a cult following and more importantly, an honesty foreign to many of today's marketing-obsessed contemporary acts. On 2000's Cowboy, he revisits 11 of his early recordings (8 of them originals) with modern arrangements that avoid the usual overamplified bombast. Time can't diminish the impact of "He Rides the Wild Horses," "Blue Eyes and Freckles," and "I'm Country." LeDoux's maturity infuses the magnificent "Song of Wyoming" with even greater depth. It likewise enhances the pathos of "Silence on the Line," a tale of a rodeo hopeful at a crossroads. On "Hippies in Calgary," LeDoux redefines the song's dated 1970s hippie-redneck tensions into pure comedy. Reviving the proudly rustic tongue-in-check "I'm Country," he advocates bringing all the city folks to the country, then pauses to warn, "Then the country won't be country anymore." Given the last few years of the '90s, you can add prescience to his many gifts. --Rich Kienzle Amazon.com

jeremy holloway

this is chris ledouxs best album i bought this cd the day it was released and was not disapionted with songs silence on the line he rides wild horses i am country this is a must have March 13, 2005

LeDoux returns with straight cowboy music!

For years, all of us LeDoux fans have tried to collect his early stuff. Of course, we all know it's hard to find. Here at eCowboy, we continually get people asking. LeDoux's whole premise behind this album was to give old and new fans a collection of a few the songs redone by the man himself. This CD has 11 of these old songs. While you're not going to find that much of the "even cowboy's like a little bit of rock'n'roll" attitude, what you will find is one of the best sets of cowboy songs ever made. In a time when we keep hearing that country music fans want to hear new/pop country, we know we can depend on LeDoux to prove them wrong.

While any LeDoux fan should love every song on this CD, we'll point out a few that just really hit home. Silence on the Line is about a cowboy who decides to stop riding the circuit. So, he calls his wife to tell her he's coming home; but, he's got a friend who is disabled coming with him. He wants to show him the ranch life. But, his wife tells him not to bring him because he may not feel right seeing all the work that needs to be done; and, he's not capable of doing it. We don't want to spoil the ending for you. So, we'll stop there. LeDoux's cowboy humor shine through on Hippies in Calgary where he tells the story of him and a buddy dressing up like hippies as a joke on there other cowboy buddies. The Yellow Stud tells the story of a bronc brought in from the wild to be bucking stock. He's the toughest bronc on the circuit that no cowboy can ride. Another one of our favorites is I'm Country where again LeDoux shows his sense of humor and pride in being country. He starts off by saying that the country is so great that everybody should move there. Then he realizes that if they do that, the country won't be country anymore. So, then he starts giving reasons why city folk really shouldn't move to the country.

OK, so maybe this stuff is not considered "Radio Friendly"; but, the bottom line is that this is country music. It's the stuff the fans want to hear. If you're a true Chris LeDoux fan, this one should be in your truck!

Editor, eCowboy.com November 8, 2001

Gems from LeDoux's Beginnings

Cowboy is a revisiting of older LeDoux classics from his self releases during his rodeo days, a result of fans asking where they can find the old stuff. Those who only know LeDoux for "Cadillac Ranch" will see where his musical phenomenon began -- guileless songs about rodeo life and cowboy philosophy, the stuff Garth Brooks first sang about. High points include the sorrowful realities of "Silence on the Line" (like Kathy Mattea's "Where've You Been," it will take me months to listen to this song without choking up), the philosophical "Ten Seconds in the Saddle," and superlative story songs like "Our First Year" and "The Yellow Stud." I confess a particular fondness for "I'm Country" and its good-humored simplicity: "I laugh when I'm happy and I cry when I'm blue/Cuss when I'm mad like I'm s'posed to do." Western fans and country fans alike will like this one. November 12, 2000

Former star reborn

Does listening to this man's music put anybody in mind of another? How about my favorite version of Bobby McGee done by Kris Kristofferson? These two voices and delivery style seem very much alike. I still love Kristofferson (always will) and may add Chris Ledoux to my list. September 8, 2000

BRONC RIDER's review

As a profesional saddle bronc rider in the PRCA I highly recomend this cd to anyone who is truly country..I own all most all of Chris's tapes(some of them aren't on cd)and cd's.Most of my tapes are about worn out because of playing them on many road trips.It was nice to be able to listen to some of these old songs again without worring about wearing out my tapes.I believe this cd can make anyone feel country.Even if they hang there hat in the city.

So if your an loyal LeDoux fan or you just like feeling country I recomend this cd to you..Its pure and its honest.. September 7, 2000

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