Review
'Goodbye Normal Street' is where Turnpike Troubadours really hit their stride, blendin' those deep country roots with the kind of storytellin' that sticks to your ribs like mama's Sunday gravy. The boys from Oklahoma serve up a hearty plate of refined songwritin' and top-notch musicianship that'll have you tappin' your boots one minute and wipin' away a tear the next. You can hear how they've grown into their sound on this 2012 release, polishin' up their production while keepin' their independent spirit as untamed as a wild mustang. When they break into tunes like 'Gone, Gone, Gone' and 'Empty As A Drum,' you feel that acoustic-driven emotion wash over you like a summer storm on the prairie.
What makes this album special is how it walks that fine line between heartache and humor, like a tightrope walker at the county fair. The melancholy moments hit you right in the chest, but then they turn around with that dry, dark humor in songs like 'Wrecked' that'll have you chucklin' despite yourself. By the time you reach the closin' notes of 'Quit While I'm Ahead,' you realize you've been taken on a journey through the backroads of life's complications and simple pleasures. These fellas managed to breathe new life into traditional country storytellin' while carvin' out their own special corner in the genre, remindin' us all why we fell in love with honest music in the first place. - Daisy
