FAN Review of Pony Xpress

FAN REVIEWS

Pony Xpress

"knock-em-dead music" by Art Hill

This CD pleases the soul. It's a must for anyones' collection. I have all the CD's now and can't wait for the next one. I grew up with the Beatles and I must say you guys are the new wave. Keep up the good work. I hope to catch a live concert someday. Keep it coming.

"This CD will make your spirit soar! Best yet by RC" by Cherie Wyatt

This is one of the best. It sounds like no other music you will ever listen to. It is a refreshing masterpiece. This is one you will listen to over and over again and never get tired of it.

"GREAT REGGAE" by Richard Calledare

Imagine, great reggae with great guitar.

"The Cowboys have done it again" by Charleston Okafor

By far Reggae Cowboys "Tell the Truth" is their best release, but they have not missed the mark on the last two releases either. Unless these guys couldn't get working visas to live and work in the US, I still wonder why they haven't moved to Nashville, TN. Their sound is on the cutting edge that I truly believe they they're a far better representation of old Country and Western that Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, and these other Rock n' Roll star wannabe country singers nowadays.

"Another great release by the Boys. Upbeat country reggae rock" by Dino LaSalvia

Yet another rockin release by the RCs "In the Mix" starts it off and sets the tone for the whole CD. Mountain Mama, John Brown and Song of Praise are all the trademark sounds of the Boys. Stone Ranger shows that he is the modern day Jimi Hendrix with "The Wind Cries Mary". No other group out there has a sound quite like them and Pony Xpress is a must for your collection.

Pony Xpress CD Review - JahWorks

New Review for Pony Xpress by Ted Boothroyd 5/19/2006 at JahWorks. Check out full review at: "http://www.jahworks.org" under Music/Reviews.

"At the moment I like "Misty Morning" for its moodiness, "World of Confusion" for its attempt to come to grips with the ungripable and the title track for its joy and vibrancy. I even appreciate the cover of the Jimi Hendrix favourite "The Wind Cries Mary" for not trying to reproduce the psychedelic spaciness and guitar pyrotechnics of the original.

Not that Stone Ranger wouldn't be capable of his own guitar magic, because he certainly is - his fluid lead guitar is in the forefront of the instrumental attack throughout the disc. Yet it's really the tight, expert ensemble singing and playing that give The Reggae Cowboys its compelling sound. However corny the name, the band generates many moments of beauty, of power and of musical pleasure."

Tal Dr. Reggae Grubstein, Reggae Power 106 FM, Israel (RAW #1133)

Thanks for the REGGAE COWBOYS promo. I must say that I was surprized for the good.

It is a WICKED album!! I loved it very much. Max respect to the REGGAE COWBOYS and the crew for the great work.

Ska "T" (Scott "Goldfinger" Shisler), RAW #26

"The much-traveled and hard-working roots/twang ensemble Reggae Cowboys caused a stampede on the dance floor at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, transforming an "arty" crowd into one drop high steppers with roots, reality and excellent musicianship on a work night.

Those with a longtime appreciation of Jamaican music are familiar with the fascination "a 'Yard" of aspects of American country, much like our own Soul Beat (ground trodden by Stax Records, Solomon Burke and Ray Charles). Nicky Thomas' Rocksteady rendering of "Don't Touch Me" (as Tammy Wynette never interpreted), Eek-A-Mouse's heist from Marty Robbins' "Big Iron" that became "Gunshot A Cry" (and remember Black Cowboy), and the crowd reaction to the film War Wagon in Perry Henzell's Harder They Come make it obvious that there has always been a place where country and roots combine.

So it is with this Toronto-based band that gravitated to an area where the plains open and the musical mindset, as well. Knowing full well that "the truth has never been told" about the influence of transplanted Africans in the building of the west, Reggae Cowboys brand the reality with foot-moving drum-and-bass riddim, guitar-band tradition, and clever, well-twined vocal harmony. Frontman "Click Masta Sync" (aka "Sync-ie") forwards the message with fine voice and motivates the massive, "Stone Ranger" rides the rhythm with slide and bite of the six-string, bouyed by bassie Westney and "Hitman's" rootical propulsion. The combination of selections of original material from both Tell The Truth, Rock Steady Rodeo and time-honored favorites (particularly Jacob Miller's "We A Rockers") moved the khaki-clad into a rub-a-dub dust-up. Undoubtedly, the message hit its mark, but caused no pain, in a way most unexpected.

Massive RASpect to Reggae Cowboys for the variation on the theme and lifestyle, as well as their expert marksmanship as singers and players

Eric Steiner, Cosmik Debris, ©2000

"I've spent many years listening to Bob Marley sing ‘I Shot the Sheriff’ and ‘Buffalo Soldier.’ I thought that the black experience in the American West had been told. For me, Marley's showdown in the street or his exploration of dreadlock rastas who fought the war for America seemed to be enough. For me, Robert Nesta Marley said it all, until I saw the Reggae Cowboys live. I caught the Reggae Cowboys at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on July 24th on tour behind their second CD, ‘Rock Steady Rodeo.

Toronto's Reggae Cowboys have a unique sound, reggae by way of the Caribbean island nation of Dominica in the British West Indies. Dominica is home to Reggae Cowboys songwriters and co-founders Bird "Stone Ranger" Bellony and Algernon "Click Masta Sync" Rabess.

The Reggae Cowboys bring their own brand of reggae, flavored with Caribbean, Old West, Spaghetti Western and, yes, even traditional reggae spices. They've been around a while, having formed in Toronto seven years ago by Stone Ranger and Click Masta Sync. At the Kennedy Center, they were joined by new touring Cowboys: The Hitman on drums and Wild Donovan Westney on bass. This four-piece rocked, as in rock steady, for well over an hour in the gilded Grand Foyer of one of America's greatest performing arts facilities. Down the hall, the National Opera was conducting auditions for its upcoming season, but I was there to experience reggae, Reggae Cowboys-style.

The Reggae Cowboys took the stage with an uptempo version of ‘Hang 'Em High’ from the Clint Eastwood movie of the same name. Both Eastwood and Ennio Morricone defined Spaghetti Westerns with soundtracks that seemed to capture every nuance of the mountains and the plains of the American West, although many were filmed throughout Italy. I'm confident they would've joined these Rastas in jeans, vests and Stetsons. Reggae Cowboys' originals ‘Road Show’ and ‘Cowboy Riddim’ followed, and the rhythm section of Wild Dononvan Westney on bass and The Hitman powered the band with a mixture of reggae, country twang, and a little bit of jazz behind the bass and the drums.

Stone Ranger and Click Masta Sync clicked on several cuts, including the upbeat ‘Lighten Up’ and ‘Reggae Rodeo,’ both from ‘Rock Steady Rodeo’ Stone's guitar solos soared, particularly when he traded leads with Click on a powerful reggae version of Chuck Berry's ‘Johnny B. Goode.’ I had heard Peter Tosh do this one live several times in the 70's, and the Steppin' Razor would be mighty, mighty proud of the Reggae Cowboys' version of this Chuck Berry rock and roll standard.

‘Searchin' for the Outlaw,’ one of the more popular cuts from the band's first LP titled "Tell the Truth," got the audience up and moving and their cover of The Eagle's ‘Outlaw Man’ made me wish for ‘Hotel California,’ Reggae.Cowboys-style.

Sam Thompson, Exclaim, Toronto, Nov/Dec 1999

"Toronto's Reggae Cowboys have somehow melded reggae with country music on ‘Rock Steady Rodeo’. They have managed to keep reggae's upbeat 'riddim,' while incorporating country-styled guitar licks and a western shuffle. Although ‘Rock Steady Rodeo’ is only their second album, the Reggae Cowboys have an extremely tight sound, which may be why the strange brew of reggae/country sounds completely natural. Listening to the band brings the Bob Marley classic 'Buffalo Soldier' to mind. Lead guitarist/vocalist Bird Bellony (aka Stone Ranger) has written politically charged lyrics that would fit in nicely with any Wailers tune, and many of the songs are about the plight of Canada's native people, using Marley's 'stand up for your rights' attitude. Of Rock Steady Rodeo's 13 songs, two are covers. The Cowboys' version of Bob Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone is neither reggae nor country. It almost stays true to the original version. The other cover, is of course, a Bob Marley' number. The classic ‘Redemption Song’ is done instrumentally, with a twanging country guitar playing the famous 'songs of freedom' vocal line. The Reggae Cowboys definitely have a unique sound, but on some songs the two genres clash and should have been pure country (Lighten Up) or pure reggae (Jesse's Theme)."

The Record, Canada

"They wear western gear and they play reggae-pop like black Eagles. Yup, partners, these ruff outlaws are really terriffic - live and on record. Bird 'Stone Ranger' Bellony and his mates love a guitar-driven roots number and there are plenty on the 'Tell The Truth' album".

The Beat, Los Angeles, August 1997

"A seamless blend of reggae and country music (old-style country music, not the Garth Brooks variety), this album is a tribute to the black cowboys of the past century and the contribution they made to cowboy culture."

"This five-piece outfit rides and ropes with the best of 'em and you can bet your buckskins they're soon to be seen on WANTED posters all over the world. The musicianship is pro, and no element of reggae is refused, be it dancehall, roots rok or popular, all inna Wild West (Indies) style."

Robert Christian, KTOO-FM, Juneau, Alaska

"I did a 30 minute set featuring both of their CD's on my Reggae Beat Show on KTOO-FM in Juneau, Alaska. Their rendition of ‘Redemption Song’ is great to say the least...and will be giving it lots of air play up here in Alaska."

The Record, Canada, July 26, 1999

"The second album from the Toronto quintet should generate the same widespread critical praise as 1996's ‘Tell the Truth’. The reggae riddims are cleverly cut with spaghetti western guitar licks and, in the case of an instrumental cover of Bob Marley's Redemption Song, a dash of jazz."

RPM, Canada, August 23, 1999

"To say the band is unique is an understatement. The band's reggae-structured Caribbean roots fuses ingeniously with their own brand of blues, country, R&B and jazz."

Cary Darling's Rhythm Nation, Orange County Register, August 27, 1999

"At first blush this merging of Marley and Marlboro man seems like a gimmick. Yet a trip back through reggae history shows that the melding isn't as odd as it seems. The West has provided heroes and imagery before - it's no accident that two of Bob Marley's most popular songs are ‘I Shot the Sheriff’ and ‘Buffalo Soldier’...

As far as the Cowboys go, their two albums, Tell the Truth and the just-released Rock Steady Rodeo are full of commercial yet authentic classic reggae a la Steel Pulse. Then there's the stirring Mark Knopfler-Eric Clapton-Carlos Santana guitar playing of leader/founder/ producer Bird Bellony, aka Stone Ranger..."

Georgia Straight, Vancouver, September 1999

"Ensconced in a hotel on Hollywood Blvd., Bird 'Stone Ranger' Bellony is only a short walk from Nudie's Los Angeles store. But, however good he might look in one of the tailor's colourful creations, he's resisting the temptation to splurge on some new threads - at least for the moment.

...But if Bellony is as lucky as he is talented, it's only a matter of time before he won't have to worry about the price of fashion. With its second CD, 'Rock Steady Rodeo,' his band, the Reggae Cowboys, has crafted both one of the finest recordings ever to come out of Toronto's vibrant Caribbean community and a disc that is already winning it a lot of friends south of the border.

Mind you if someone had told me this a couple of years ago, I would have been dubious at best. The Cowboys' debut was an entertaining little trifle but hardly a work of art; in fact, it seemed more of a joke. A reggae band writing songs about the Old West and setting Bakersfield-style guitar lines against one-drop riddims? ‘Good for a laugh I thought ...well I was wrong’. The songs prove that (they’re) no mere novelty act. Beneath such funny and dance-floor friendly chants as ‘Wild West Indian’ and ‘Reggae Rodeo’ lurk keen insights into just how the West was won - and how, in many ways, the legacy infects contemporary life."

Patricia Meschino, Rhythm Magazine, December 1999

"Themes of the American West have played a larger role in expanding reggae's colorful lexicon than most of Jah music's fans would care to admit. The Barett brothers, the drum-and-bass foundation of Bob Marley's Wailers, scored major hits in the late '60's with the Western-tinged instrumentals Return of the Django and Clint Eastwood. The ensuing years saw dancehall DJ's such as Lone Ranger, Lee Van Cleef and Super Cat (aka The Wild Apache) taking cowboys-and-Indian subjects even further. The concept reached a pinnacle - or nadir, depending on your perspective - with Pincher's in 1991 Mexican-flavored smash Bandelero and Josey Wales' chart-topping 1997 ditty ‘Who Shot the Colonel.’

As the sun sets over Dodge City (or rather, as a new millennium beckons), the Reggae Cowboys - a band with members from the Caribbean islands of Dominica (home to the world's largest settlement of Carib Indians), and Jamaica - saddles up on the dusty streets of Toronto, Canada. Seamlessly combining Ennio Morricone's spaghetti-western soundtrack music with Marley and the Wailers' one-drop rhythms, these roots-rock wranglers boast gun-smokin' lyrical appeal and home-on-the-range humor, branding reggae with galloping Western grit.

The Reggae Cowboys' rhythmic lasso corrals listeners into their album Rock Steady Rodeo (Tumbleweed). Bird Bellony's twangy guitar suggests Dick Dale supplying the theme for TV's Bonanza, evoking lonesome prairie nights or a palmy Caribbean beach. The band slips into Cowboy kitsch on De Agenda (''Me and the one named Brenda/way up in the hacienda") and Roadshow, recounting touring rigors to the 'clippity-clippity-clop' of tired hooves. But they reach artistic heights on the instrumental Jesse's Theme, dedicated to turn-of-the-century African-American broncobuster Jess Stahl, and their harmonies haunt on Geronimo, honoring the legendary chief: "Hell's 40 acres ain't fit for man to be/so you see he must be free Apache.'

XNews, Jamaica

"Reggae Cowboys performed to a sold-out audience and the response was overwhelming... Judging from their growing popularity and the positive response from the community, there is no doubt that we will be hearing a lot more fun from them and their unique concept of reggae music which is quite effective."

The Word, Toronto, Canada

"Possibly not since (or before) Bob Marley’s ‘I Shot the Sheriff’ has reggae so openly flirted with country and western themes. This group has taken reggae to a new dimension – reggae mixed with blues, country, R&B and jazz."

David Avery , CMJ (College Music Journal) , February 3,

"Perhaps you've been wondering what a reggae band would sound like if it lived in the Old West. A silly idea you say? Well, don't forget that Bob Marley flirted with the notion in 'I Shot the Sheriff' and 'Buffalo Soldier'. Although history and Hollywood have paid little attention to the large number of black pioneers and cowboys who settled and worked the West, country music and cowboy movies are popular the world over, and the Caribbean Islands are no exception... A Caribbean culture that enjoys both home-grown reggae and cowboy themes was bound to give us a spaghetti-western reggae band at some point - fortunately, the Reggae Cowboys are up to the task."

David Liens, CMJ (College Music Journal) New Music Report

"The Reggae Cowboys are one of the most unusual groups to come forward in recent memory. Playing urban, modern conscious reggae while decked out in wild west garb, they combine the pulse of reggae with the soulful influences of Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, along with an unusually philosophical approach. Even more intriguingly, the Reggae Cowboys not only use the Wild West motif as an image, they are earnestly committed to promoting awareness of the role of African American cowboys in this country's history, as heard on 'Tell The Truth' and 'Searchin' for De Outlaw' and their covers of 'Hang 'Em High', 'Outlaw Man' and 'Hotel California' which sounds like an instant hit."

David Avery, CMJ New Music Report, Issue 627 - July 19, 1999

"The spaghetti-western reggae style shot the Reggae Cowboys onto nearly every Triple A station in the country with last year's ‘Tell The Truth’. The band's name and sound stems from their fascination with African-Americans of the old West. For their second release, these Canadians-via-the-Carribean, deliver a more danceable sound."

Timothy White, Editor-in-chief, Billboard, January 11, 1997

"Expect some fever-in-the-bunkhouse fun this year from, this dreadlocked posse of high plains drifters, whose beautifully crafted blend of riddims makes for a memorable shootout at the conscious dancehall corral. Combining authentic sagas of black cowboy culture with... full-bandolier roots ammunition, Reggae Cowboys have made a proud, hip, authoritative record loaded with plenty of cross-over fire power. There are no bum steers on this all-original set, although the likely single ‘Cowboy Riddim’ is - ahem - a killer, with ‘Tell the Truth’ and ‘Searchin' for De Outlaw’ both worthy follow-ups. The stagnant reggae scene needs a ruff 'n tuff live act like Reggae Cowboys to revitalize things in '97, and as this fine album catches on in the U.S. and U.K., look for the band to revive a storied subgenre, sparking heritage-minded resurrections of the wild west reggae of the late '60's and early '70's.

Elena Oumano, Artist & Music Feature, Billboard

"Effortless and natural, the Cowboys' fusion of western themes and reggae riddims actually rediscovers a musical synthesis found in reggae's early years, when the island was tuning into American country and western music, along with seminal R&B.

In Rock Steady Rodeo, the reggae one-drop beat – laid out by rhythmic slashes of keyboards and rhythm guitar and syncopated basslines makes for an easy-rocking foundation for the band's greatest asset, Bird Bellony's tasteful six-string architecture. Soaring without showboating, his fluid guitar passages are studded with evocative signatures from the soundtrack to American cowboy culture, real and imagined, past and present."

Elena Oumano, Village Voice, November 7, 2000

The name of this group may strike some as an oxymoron, but reggae's found plenty of inspiration in country music's broken hearts and the legends of our wild wild West. The Reggae Cowboys' spin on America's fondest myth is all its own: irresistible loping rhythms and lyrical themes that subvert the romance by speaking to the plights of Native-Americans and African American slaves.

Boogie on, Reggae Cowboy

I’m having a hell of a time knowing where to start writing about the Reggae Cowboys—a Toronto band made up of Caribbean transplants who dress up like cowboys and play not just reggae, but also blues, rock and Spanish-language spaghetti western soundtrack music all mooshed together. Perhaps, at some antipodal Caribbean alternative newsweekly, some other writer is similarly struggling to come to grips with an upcoming show by a band of Norwegians who dress like Russian sailors and play some unholy union of speed-metal and klezmer music. It would be a lot easier to dismiss the Cowboys if their music was bland and crummy—the usual half-digested hodge-podge that results when bands ram five different styles of music together into one song and then delude themselves into thinking they’ve concocted some truly unique fusion. I can’t stand gimmicks, and everything about the Reggae Cowboys suggests a truly desperate one. I don’t even like reggae very much, and for that I largely thank its ongoing misappropriation by bands of rich white kids who fancy themselves Rastafarians just for having dreadlocks and seeing off a pound of weed every semester. But the Reggae Cowboys—guitarists Bird “Stone Ranger” Bellony and Algernon “Click Masta Sync” Rabess, bassist Keith “Marshal K” Evanson and drummer Iain “Hitman I” Green—are really good! True to their word, they do an impressive job of marrying reggae to rock, blues, R&B and jazz without making it seem, well, gimmicky. “Mr. Hubble,” which opens the band’s 2002(3) album Let’s Ride (Stone Ranger), has got that unmistakable reggae backbeat, but the emphasis is on a raunchy guitar part over the typical bong-happy bass line that runs the reggae show. Rapid-fire toasting aside, it sounds more like Caribbean crossover à la Eddy Grant in his “Romancing the Stone” days—and for me, anything that shuns the narcotic thudding of reggae as currently practiced in college towns all across North America makes for a refreshing departure in an increasingly stagnant genre.Coincidentally or not, another track from Let’s Ride sounds very much like the same Eddy Grant, only from his pre-“Electric Avenue” band The Equals. Other influences—Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley, the Skatalites and the Meters—are scattered more or less evenly over these 12 tracks, perhaps the most unusual of which is a bouncy little Latin-reggae number with flamenco guitar flourishes and lyrics half-sung in peculiarly accented Spanish. The song, “Maria,” can be understood by anyone with two weeks of Berlitz under his belt, and features such inviting linguistic pile-ups as “reggae vaquero Rasta” and “bienvenido a mi fiesta/Reggae ritmo, mi bonita.” In a way, it’s kind of too bad that Reggae Cowboys feel like they have to dangle the gimmick-bait to pique people’s interest. On the other hand, I bet they have a lot of fun touring the country looking like they stopped by one of those old-time photo booths at the county fair and never gave the clothes back—a real conversation-starter, as they say. According to the press release, the dude-ranch garb is also the band’s way of acknowledging the contribution of black soldiers, scouts and, yes, cowboys in the American West. Some historians estimate that as many as a third of the cowboys in America in the 1800s were African-American—many of them former slaves. Anyway, after some initial misgivings, I have to admit that the reggae cowboy package reeled me in and then hooked me. I’m probably not as immune to gimmicks as I’d like to think, either. I recently parted (also with misgivings) with a record by a Japanese punk band so enamored of early ’80s Scandinavian hardcore that the members all took Swedish names and sing in Swedish, too. I fell for that shtick in about half a second. If anybody out there knows of a band of Norwegians who dress like Russian sailors and play a hybrid of klezmer and speed metal, now I’m all ears.
–Andy Smetanka, Missoula News, July 24, 2003

Jamaica Select by Howard Hendriks, Gargamel

The best kept secret in Reggae music right now is the existence of the American based band Reggae Cowboys. With the continuous evolution of our music, the hottest instrument became the turntable (which is dying as well), but this group is a breath of fresh air. Their mastery of instruments gives a crossover blend of 'Hillbilly Western Country music' dubbed with Roots Reggae. The wailing guitars on this album drills just like cluster bombs raining on Baghdad. 'Let's Ride' (Stone Ranger) is their third album and it is indeed another winner. Check out the fiery versions of 'Johnny B. Goode,' 'Lay Down Sally' and 'Concrete Jungle." And, the originals are just as hot - tune into the Spanish flavoured 'Maria,' 'Night Train' and 'Do You Wanna Ride.' This is a band that I would love to see perform at Reggae Sumfest as these Cowboys bring the fun back to Reggae.

Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

Who would have thought that a Canadian reggae band with a cowboy schtick could turn out to be anything more than a one-shot novelty act? And yet, over the course of ten years and three albums, the Toronto-based Reggae Cowboys have managed to do just that, gradually building an impressive catalogue of unconventional reggae recordings and an enviable reputation as a live act. Stone Ranger (which is also the stage name of the band's lead singer and chief songwriter) does a nice job of blending disparate musical elements without sounding silly or awkward; the prominent steel guitar on "Buckin' Bronco" fits seamlessly within the song's twin-guitar lead lines and loping reggae groove; "Maria" is a charming Latin-tinged ska raveup; and "Jed," the album's best track, combines rootsy organ, tight vocal harmonies, and a churning one-drop beat to very fine effect. We could have done with just one version of "Samedi Soir," and Bob Marley's "Concrete Jungle" didn't need the amped-up treatment it gets here. Worst is the band's completely unnecessary cover of Peter Tosh's cover of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode." But overall, this album is a solid winner.

Reggae Cowboys with The Yayhoos, North By Northwest, 7165 Germantown Avenue, 215.248.1000, www.nxwphl.com

I imagine myself at a tiki bar with a frozen cocktail in hand, loaded with rum and topped off with an umbrella, somewhere on a warm, sandy beach. The Reggae Cowboys are on stage, the tepid sea air blankets my arms and legs, which patter to the rasta beat. These countrified islanders rattle and roll beside the crystal clear current and amidst the orange glow of the sun, setting just beyond a passing cruise ship.

Perhaps that’s only a glimpse into one of my daydreams, but listening to the Reggae Cowboys fifth release, “Stone Ranger” (the name of lead singer, guitarist, and producer), summons visions of white sand and bottomless brews. Based in Toronto, the Reggae Cowboys bring a mixed bag of influences – island hop, southwestern sizzle, and rock roots. They roll through southwestern tracks seared with a Jamaican jerk flavor, yet bestow heaps of homage to blues rock roots.

The 11 tracks on "Stone Ranger," blend the tropics with the bayou with the heartland with the desert with the Big Apple for a perfectly laid-out reggae utopia. There are also some European highlights within the group’s formula, which is evident on the album’s repeated track, “Samedi Soir” (translates to “Saturday Evening”), done in both English and French.

The Reggae Cowboys’ ability to meld various genres onto a reggae backbone has afforded the group success in the U.S., Caribbean Islands, and in Europe, where their song, “Coce Dominique,” was a major hit in France. The band has continuously received heaps of recognition for their special reggae recipe, and they are sure to warm the cold souls of Philadelphians when they visit this week.

Caught in the path of impending snowstorms, and as my mind wanders towards warmer temperatures, rum drinks, and balmy salt air, the Reggae Cowboys will be the perfect winter soundtrack to pass away frosty nights in Philadelphia until I leave for vacation in mid-January. Their show on Friday night at North By Northwest should only serve to reinforce my longing for the tropics as my warm-weathered daydreams grow stronger for a place “where the weather suits my soul.”

Alicia Karen Elkins, Rambles, December 4, 2004

Stone Ranger is the third North American release by the Reggae Cowboys. It is reggae music promoted as the classic reggae "one-drop" rhythm with rock 'n' roll, six-string spaghetti-western and island influences, especially calypso, layered on top. The promotion is dead on target and this is exactly what you will hear in this collection of unique, 21st-century reggae.

"Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry has always been one of my favorite songs and I immediately played this version. Wow! Move over, Mr. Berry, because these guys have taken your classic song into a whole new realm of artistic interpretation -- one that just might upstage you. This version is nothing like the original, which as a dance tune of the finest caliber but had no emotional appeal. These guys bring you the emotions and will have you picturing poor little Johnny sitting beside the railroad. It kicks.

"Buckin' Bronco" makes you envision somebody with their thumbs tucked behind their belt buckle doing those deep knee-bending bebops so typical of the cowboy culture. I got right into dancing to this one. "Buckin' Bronco" is a dance and these guys tell you all about how you can forget the tango and electric slide to let your feet do it. The percussion and guitar in this piece are super. "Night Train" is one smooth flowing, medium-tempo dance song. I love the words. It is my favorite of the collection, barely edging "Johnny B. Goode." I like music that I can dance to and most of this collection is extremely danceable. It is all enjoyable. There was not one selection that I thought was low quality.

These musicians have a knack for timing. I am really impressed with the way they manage to bring the layering together with such precision to the fraction of a beat. It is astounding to hear so many moving parts being right on the mark. These guys are great and I expect to see them moving into the spotlight in the coming years.

The Reggae Cowboys are Stone Ranger (guitars, bass, piano, lead vocals), Click Masta Sync (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), Marshall K Evanson (bass) and Hitman I. Green (drums, train whistle, backing vocals), plus guests. Stone Ranger is reggae meets the wild, wild west, plus so much more. This is one CD that all reggae followers need to add to their collection. It is unique!