Search - Vince Bell :: Texas Plates

Musing over the proliferation of Texas singer/songwriters of baby-boom age, Austin songsmith Kimmie Rhodes once credited the frequent use of DDT in the Dallas-Austin-Lubbock triangle. Whatever it was, Vince Bell got a heavy dose. Twelve years after nearly dying in a 1982 car crash, Bell released Phoenix, an album that contained a mix of quizzical, John Prine-esque story songs and lambent ballads like "Woman of the Phoenix," which Nanci Griffith interpreted on Other Voices, Other Rooms. Although Bell is little known outside of Texas, 1999's Texas Plates suggests his talents have outpaced his fame. Bell doesn't have the voice of a Joe Ely or a Jimmie Dale Gilmore, but his songs are just as expressive and thoughtful, at times even more melodically catchy. He can paste together austere, meditative snapshots from Texas highways or capture the endearing romantic desperation of a dead-end dance floor. Producer Robin Eaton and engineer Elijah Shaw gently build around (and not over) a spare foundation of voice and acoustic guitar, layering touches of strings, vibes, slide guitars, and chunky percussive tracks. The result is a spacious, highly rhythmic sound, complementing the humor and imagination of Bell's memorable songwriting. --Roy Kasten