I enjoyed Prefab Sprout in the 1980s and 1990s, but when they disappeared after Jordan: The Comeback, and only returned after seven years with the disappointing Andromeda Heights, I lost interest.
I think I picked this up in a sale, a couple of years after release, and only returned to it a day or two ago for this blog.
The band by this time was just the McAloon brothers, Wendy Smith being busy with family, and, as the title suggests, it had a Western theme, and is full of those allusions and tropes.
Opener, Cowboy Dreams sets the scene, with a banjo intro, and has a catchy theme, but already the banjo and "Yippi-ay-a" is grating. But as a song, it's a grower, as is second song Wild Card In The Pack, a well constructed love song. But as things slow down, so does my interest, Troubled Man does nothing for me, and Streets Of Laredo limps through four and a half minutes. Love Will Find Someone For You is limp, and while there's an appeal in the bouncy Cornfield Ablaze, the fire and siren sound effects feel cliched. When You Get To Know Me Better is another limp ballad, leading us to The Gunman, an eight minute epic power ballad. Have I mentioned how much I hate power ballads?
So, to the end, Blue Roses leaves me cold, while the hoedown silliness of Farmyard Cat is, I hope, an attempt at frivolity rather than anything serious.
I'm sorry, Paddy, this one just isn't for me. Whatever the spark that lit up the songs on earlier albums was, it's entirely missing on all but a couple here, and two much of the arrangement is determined by the theme / concept. I hope, that in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, this isn't the Prefab Sprout entry.
2* - a shadow of the band's earlier work. Disappointing
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