Texas to Tennessee (Back 9, 2005)

It is obvious even before completing the first trip through the 13 songs that make up this disc that the modern world moves a bit too fast for Bob Cheevers. He wrote or co-wrote all of the songs and he did it with an eye, an ear and an appreciation for the pace of days gone by.

Many of the songs are about characters from Cheevers' past, like the opening "Drivin' That Mercury." Some are about people less directly connected to him, but they all have stories that resonate with this Tennessee native. The real magic of the lyrics he writes is that they not only make us feel like we know the lead character, but also it reminds us of someone we knew in our own lives.

The arrangements are simple and mostly spotlight just Cheevers' voice, which recalls Willie Nelson. Even the background vocalists fail to jump out, with the except being his duo with Joy Lynn White on "Under the Bayou Moon." Cheevers is content to keep it slow and relaxed and manages to convey that mood and theme perfectly here as well. (6255 Sunset Blvd., #1024, Hollywood, CA 90028)