James McMurtry - It Had To Happen

James McMurtry is carrying on the great singer-songwriter tradition on his fourth album It Had to Happen. Now off the major label scene, McMurtry is free to pursue his songs in a more laid-back intimate setting. But the album also sees his songwriting in peak form. He tells stories, examines the characters in his world and casts his own appealingly sardonic light on life. Of his own craft, McMurtry writes: 'If I wrote straight autobiographical stuff, it'd be so boring. That's the same reason I try not to give opinions in songs. As soon as that happens, you're preaching... It's better to just tell the story and let listeners make up their own minds.'

Sonically, the album is well done with a nice clean mix, and a minimum of studio gloss. The sound is like rest of the album - plain and unadorned - to let the songs and their stories be told. Producer Lloyd Mains and engineer/mixer Fred Remmert had the right idea.

Storytelling singer-songwriters are not exactly an endangered species. There are a lot of very good ones around. But on It Had to Happen James McMurtry blossoms and stands out as real master of the craft. ~ Full Review by George Graham

Track Listing :

• Paris
• Peter Pan
• For All I Know
• No More Buffalo
• 12 O'Clock Whistle
• Sixty Acres
• Be With Me
• Wild Man From Boreno
• Stancliff's Lament
• Jaws Of Life