Tag: Bruce Robison

By Paul T. Mueller–Titles are easy to throw around, and sometimes they’re just so much music-biz hype. Not so in the case of Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis. Partners both on and off the stage, they have been called “The First Couple of Texas Country Music” and “Americana royalty,” among other things. At McGonigel’s Mucky Duck in Houston on June 30, Bruce and Kelly showed a capacity crowd how they got those titles and why they deserve them.

Bruce and Kelly packed 22 songs into their hour-and-a-half set, the first of two shows scheduled for the evening, and the third of four in a two-night stand. (They’ve pretty much transcended the need for last names at this point – according to one report, the named artist on their upcoming joint CD will be “The Bruce and Kelly Show.”) Despite the time constraints of a two-show night (and their willingness to talk to fans and pose for pictures between sets), the performance never seemed rushed. One hit followed another with an easy grace that belied the high-level artistry behind the music. Strumming and occasionally picking acoustic guitars, the two singers got excellent support from Geoff Queen on electric guitar and steel guitar, John “Lunchmeat” Ludwick (Bruce’s brother-in-law) on standup bass, and Joey Shuffield (of Fastball) on drums.

The show featured a mix of songs written by Bruce and Kelly, together or separately, along with some interesting covers – but no Christmas songs, Bruce noted, in a reference to the couple’s now-famous Christmas shows. There were plenty of country tearjerkers, such as Bruce’s “The New Me,” Kelly’s “If I Left You,” and “Cheater’s Game,” said to be the title track of the new CD. And there was lighter fare as well, including a nice version of Don Williams’ “We’re All the Way,” a tribute to a long-run relationship, and “Wrapped” and “Desperately,” both written by Bruce and both hits for George Strait some years back. Kelly turned Kirsty MacColl’s “Don’t Come the Cowboy with Me, Sonny Jim!” – sung at a fan’s request – into a happy romp, and the fact that she hummed her way through a few unfamiliar lyrics only added to the fun.

Bruce called for requests at one point and seemed pleased to hear calls for some of the duo’s less well-known songs. Upon learning that one group of fans had traveled from Louisiana for the show, he conferred briefly with the band and launched into his rueful road ballad “Rayne, Louisiana,” featuring some nice slide guitar by Queen. But the hits got their due as well, among others the divorce lament “Angry All the Time” and the sad and beautiful doomed-love ballad “Traveling Soldier.”

Kelly, who appears to have discovered a cure for aging, showed off her fine voice all night. There’s always been sweetness and sadness there, but she’s not afraid to throw in a little snarl too, as on her you-done-me-wrong song “What World Are You Living In?” and especially on a fine rendition of Tom T. Hall’s “Harper Valley PTA.” This is someone who knows exactly what she’s doing, and loves doing it.

“Don’t believe the hype,” the hip-hop philosophers Public Enemy once advised. In the case of Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis, feel free to ignore that advice.

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