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The members of veteranWestern swing/pop trio Hot Club of Cowtown don’t sound like they’re coming offof a mid-decade hiatus. Wishful Thinkingfinds vocalist/fiddler Elana James, vocalist/guitarist Whit Smith and uprightbassist Jake Erwin together againseven years after their last studio album,and this time with drums.
The album arguably swingsmore than earlier material, and as such may be the perfect entry point for newfans. Snazzy instrumentals “Heart of Romain” (which could be the soundtrack toan old Western movie) and “The Magic Violin” flirt with barn-dance ditties “IfYou Leave Me” and the public domain “Columbus Stockade Blues.” And the wistful“Reunion” belongs on commercial radio.
Recording traditionalsongs is fine, but a band that still sounds as good as Hot Club of Cowtownshould be touting its own material, not century-old songs like Ira Gershwin’s“Someone to Watch Over Me.”
