Honky Tonk Masquerade in Bloomington, MN

As strong as
Joe Ely
's self-titled solo debut was, his second album, 1978's
Honky Tonk Masquerade
, actually managed to top it, and the album remains one of the great creative triumphs of the Texas
singer/songwriter
community, as well as a high-water mark in
Ely
's career. Displaying a very Texan sense of eclecticism,
's ten tunes run the gamut from beer-stained weepers (the title cut) and late-night declarations of loneliness (
"Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown"
) to barrelhouse
rock & roll
(
"Fingernails"
) and
honky tonk
dance numbers (
"West Texas Waltz"
and
"Cornbread Moon"
), and
's simple but expressive delivery makes the most of every song he sings.
's band deserves a special nod as well, especially steel guitarist
Lloyd Maines
Ponty Bone
on accordion, who can seemingly conjure up an orchestra or a horn section at will. And as strong as
's songs are, he has the good sense to also accept contributions from fellow ex-
Flatlanders
Butch Hancock
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
, whose more introspective lyrical approach makes for a satisfying contrast to
's more down to earth style. Smart without sounding pretentious, and musically ambitious without losing focus or drive,
is a superb album that captures
and his band at their best. ~ Mark Deming