Search - Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers :: Sonoran Hope & Madness

Una Soda, Por Favor?

Jason N. Mical | Bellevue, WA, USA | 03/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Since the dissolution of his previous band, The Refreshments, Roger Clyne has taken a more adult approach to his music, while still retaining the sense of humor and fun that made The Refreshments such a success. One of the pioneers of the Tempe, Arizona "salsa rock" scene, a form of pop-rock-country heavily influenced by sounds from across the Mexican border, Clyne chose the Peacemakers as his new musical outlet, buddy-ing up with another former Refreshment, a former Gin Blossom, and two members of Dead Hot Workshop. Their first album, Honky Tonk Union, was a best-seller on the Internet sales chart, and became a favorite at independent music stores across the US.Clyne's world, which admittedly sounds like a fun place to visit, is chock-full of Tequila drinking contests, cactus-covered deserts, tender cowboy stalkers, and tragic Mexican heroes. It's a theme continued on Sonoran Hope and Madness, the latest CD from Clyne and Company, and their second studio-produced album. With firecracker bookends and an eye towards the worldly ("Colorblind Blues"), Sonoran Hope shows a sense of maturity developed by living life, but more importantly, choosing it. Perennial live favorite track "The Ballad of Lupe Montosa" makes its studio debut here, and Clyne returns to a bit of his pop-rock sensibilities on "Better Beautiful Than Perfect." Although none of the songs stand out as catchy radio singles, that's a good thing; fans of The Peacemakers will say that the only way to experience the band is live, and studio-produced CDs lose a lot of the energy that made Clyne famous in the Tempe scene. Radio singles doomed The Refreshments, and The Peacemakers have taken a sagacious high road in refusing record deals from major labels to keep true to their original spirit and sound. In a world marked by musical cynicism, boy-band mania, and Britney Spears movies, it's refreshing to know that artists like Clyne and his band still remember what the sounds are all about. While not Beethoven, The Peacemakers offer the same kind of originality and quality that is the mark of all artists who love their craft above all else."

Change Is Good

jbksauls | 02/16/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the second effort from Roger Clyne and Company (third if you count their live disc) and, for the most part, their first fully-produced set of songs. The much improved production definately makes the record sound better then their first disc (Honkey Tonk Union) but the biggest difference on SH&M is the more serious tone of it's 10 songs (13 if you count the two little ditties and a short hidden track). Clyne has taken on a deeper, sometimes more somber approach with tracks like "Ashes of San Miguel" and "Ballad of Lupe Montosa". Even the more rocking songs like "Colorblind Blues" and "Buffalo" have a more mature edge to them, while still remaining catchy and fun. My personal favorites are "Smaller and Better Things" and, especially, "Better Beautiful than Perfect", a song that is so good that when Clyne sings 'Beauty is everywhere' you believe him. Overall, this is a very solid disc that easily places the Clyne & the Peacemakers in the "Advanced Placement" class of alt-country acts like Old 97's, Ryan Adams, the Mavericks, and Steve Earle."

Album: 5 stars, live show: 6 stars. wow.

Jonathan R. Zuckerman | Arlington, VA United States | 10/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I listenend to Roger Clyne while he was in the Refreshments and really appreciated his first album. He had a freshness and charismatic outlook that makes you younger for having heard it, and the way he seamlessly blends his Southwestern lifestyle with his music makes me at once envious of him and proud just to bear witness to it. I lamentably stopped paying attention to them after Fizzy Fuzzy Big and Buzzy and missed their second CD, Bottle and Fresh Horses. Then just recently I downloaded a bunch of songs from his catalog and to my great surprise I realized that not only had he not fallen off the face of the earth, but he has been steadily grinding out what may be the only true American music for the last decade with his new (sort of) band the Peacemakers. While I can't say with certainty that he has been getting better, I can say that he has been traveling in a (pretty) straight line and you can literally watch him grow from an immature young savant into a pensive and wise man. He has equipped himself with equally awesome band members. Danny Blanco, PH Naffah (from the Refreshments) and Steve Larson (from Dead Hot Workshop) all do a spectacular job but they are eclipsed by that divine young man Roger Clyne."