Lee Roy Parnell - Tell The Truth!

Like his compadre, Delbert McClinton, Lee Roy Parnell is one of those artists whose music doesn't fit the conventional labels. The old "too country for rock, to rock for country" applies here. But like Delbert, that uncatagorizable trait is what makes Lee Roy's music so special. For a guy who has had several top 10 songs in the country arena, the searing guitar work on the lead cut of his latest release, "Tell The Truth," steers the listener down a completely different road. It's steeped more in the Mississippi delta than Nashville. The ride down the back roads continues throughout this classy disc.

Lee Roy Parnell playing the Blues is certainly nothing new. Prior to his run of hit country singles in the '90's, he was known to lay down some fine blues tracks. In fact, his early days of exploring the guitar were influenced by Albert King, and then onto Duanne Allman. He bleeds every ounce of soul out of his guitar on the Allman Bros. styled "Crossin' Over." He credits his move to Vanguard for giving him the freedom to make the record he wanted, resulting in longer tunes and "stream of consciousness" guitar solos.

His first record for Arista was very similar to this one. However, shortly thereafter, he became known as the new hitmaker in country music. "Tell the Truth" has more in common with his first record there, than his last. This time around he gets some help from Delbert, Bonnie Bramblett, and Keb Mo. He enlists the Mississippi Mass Choir for inspiration on "Brand New Feeling". Everything else is Lee Roy with help from his '56 Gibson guitar, and his rock solid voice.

Lee Roy calls "Tell The Truth" his most honest record to date. This fifth generation Texan spills his guts through some tasty Blues and R&B. So much so that there's little room for any country music. He and Delbert do kick up their boot heels on the roadhouse rocker, "South By Southwest." They sing about heading back to Texas because they are homesick, and to get some good bar-b-que. This tune supports the increasingly repetitive, ironic scenario of so many Texans based in Nashville. Robert Earl Keen is Lee Roy's cousin, and urged him to come back to Nashville after a previous aborted effort to make a go of it in Nashvegas. Of course, Mr. Keen didn't stick around and is now the apprentice to the role of "King of Texas Music." But like Delbert, Lee Roy did return and has been residing there for years. Texas has alot to offer, but a business to rival Music Row ain't part of it. Until that changes, the Robert Earl Keen stories will remain few and far between.

Tell The Truth lends more to the Blues than Country. But the list of blues purveyors from Texas reads like a historical timeline for the art form. The music of Freddie King, Mance Lipscomb and a holy host of others found comfort here as well as any place on earth. From the days of a flourishing Peacock Records, to the early departure of SRV, Texas music history resounds the Blues loudly. Lee Roy Parnell writes another stirring chapter with "Tell The Truth."