Tom Russell
Borderland
Hightone Records
***** (of 5)

Holy Moly! This is a GREAT CD! The first time the Excuse got a Tom Russell CD in for review, I foolishly gave it to another reviewer before I even listened to it. Now I'm thinking aobut finding her and orchestrating some sort of elaborate trick to get it back for my own personal enjoyment.

Produced by Gurf Morlix, Borderland not only discusses the border between the US and Mexico, but also "the Borderland between a woman and a man." Oh my! Right after I finished my two-month Tim Easton binge, where nothing else was allowed in my CD player, I put this one on. Big mistake. I spent another month hoarding the sweet, airy sounds that Tom, Rick Richards, Ian McLagan, Joel Guzman, Andrew Hardin, Eliza Gilkyson, Jimmy LaFave and Gurf have put on disc.

Fans of stories, songs and music will love this disc.

This is one of the year's best albums. Period.

-Django Do you agree or disagree with our review? E-mail us and we'll post your thoughts.