Wind In The Wire

RANDY TRAVIS: "Wind In The Wire" (Warner Bros)

MOCKERY IS the usual, easy, knee-jerk response one encounters when rock critics/fans turn their attention to country music. However, as the kind of jerk whose knee has never tilted in that direction I'm loathe to mock country because I do see it as a genuine American roots music.

That said, there's something about the Dessie O'Malley-like perm, the sparklingly new fringed suede jacket, the crisp leather belt and the petulant look on the face of Randy Travis in the photo on this CD which makes it hard to take seriously the concept of RT as a "real" cowboy. I met the guy, I know Eastwood almost asked him to appear in 'Unforgiven' but, c'mon Randy it jest ain't you, boy.

However, when it comes to the music, the concept couldn't be more right. Ostensibly, a point of departure for Travis, a step forward by reaching back to the western element in country music, for a forthcoming TV documentary, of which this is the soundtrack. In fact, anyone familiar with songs like 'all Night Long', from his album Heroes and Friends will hear nothing markedly different in tracks like 'Cowboy Boogie'.

The opening track, 'Down At The Old Corral', sets the mood but anyone familiar with Blur's rant against "legislated nostalgia" might suspect that the West never was as depicted here. And, as someone who has heard, and finds both authentic and historically challenging other releases on the Warners Western label, such as Waddie Mitchell's magnificent 'Buckaroo Poet' and Don Edwards equally superb 'Goin' Back To Texas' this album does strike me as ever so slightly contrived.

It also is unfortunate that the move being made by Warners, in Nashville, to create a true roots label, and a label that looks again at myths about the Old West, is only represented in Ireland by this obviously more commercial album by Randy Travis. I'd really be impressed if they put the same kind of promotion behind Native American, Bill Miller's album The Red Road which will, no doubt, remain my album of the year. But that album, sadly, isn't even released in Ireland.

Until it is, I guess Wind In The Wire is a passable substitute.

• Joe Jackson