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Another great release from ’90 under the contemporary folk umbrella (see Amy Correia) – and covering some of the same rootsy terrain as Steve Earle – is Bolsa de Agua from Austin’s Gourds. They throw in the veritable kitchen sink, drawing from bluegrass punk, Tex-Mex, roots rock, Cajun, western, and revival gospel, brewing up a heady, sometimes disorienting beverage.
Led by singer-songwriter-guitarists Kevin Russell and Jimmy Smith, the Gourds evolved out of a late ’80s cow-punk band called the Picket Line Coyotes. Bolsa de Agua was their fourth album, and it’s got the goods: fine songs and recording quality, excellent playing, and a real sense of musical history rammed into the present.
