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Wild
Horses - Frontier Free For All
Album
Review by Cheryl H. Hill
 Related
"in spirit, " Angela Rae, Michael Blake Mahler, Steve Kellough,
and Ralph McCauley comprise one of the most talented, personable,
charming and exciting groups in country music today. On their album
jacket it says (in part), "We're Wild Horses and we take our name
very seriously. We believe in running free across the
musical landscape, accepting no boundaries or limitations [and] if you
are gonna ask us if we're country or if we're rock, we'll
unapologetically tell ya 'You bet'."
A few years ago, after my first encounter with this talented group at
Fan Fair, I remarked that Wild Horses were an unbridled stampede of
sheer exuberance and after listening to Frontier Free For All,
let me reiterate ... like expensive wine, and many of the finer things
in life, they only get better as time goes by. In the years since our
first meeting they have fine-tuned and skillfully honed themselves. They
have perfected a unified charisma, and their passion for entertaining is
obvious. When they say they "have a good ol' time being
free," they truly mean it, and it shows in their energy and
enthusiasm when they perform.
Staying true to themselves hasn't been easy for them nor endeared them
to the powers-that-be in Nashville. As Mahler puts it, "we've
drifted through a couple of major labels" and Kellough told me,
"we've been so image consulted that I don't recognize myself in the
mirror anymore." Sooooo, with a encouragement from a legion of
devoted fans across the country, a top 40 song ("I Will
Survive" from the PRB produced Dancing With Thunder CD), a
video that made the regular play lists of CMT and GAC and one of
Mahler's songs ("Wood and Wire") recorded by the legendary
George Jones on his current CD; Wild Horses has finally made the
decision to stampede country radio sans major backing. This move gives
them creative control and the freedom to perform the music they believe
in the most. This also means that fans of the extremely talented, and
very handsome, Michael Mahler are in for a big treat since he finally
has a recording platform for his songwriting talents. He had a hand in
writing seven of the ten songs on this album.
Special kudos go to the delicious (adjective provided my husband) and
fiery lead singer, Angela Rae, whose vocals are featured on the album.
Although dynamic on her own, Rae's voice blends seamlessly and
beautifully with the guys. Proof of this is the energetic "Ride
Cowboy Ride" which is definitely one of my favorites on the album.
This song has become their concert trademark and it is the perfect
showcase for each of their individual talents, but they are just as
superb on the slower tempo songs. On "Haunting Me," the
instrumentals accentuate Rae's sultry vocals and on "Safely
Home," which Mahler says was inspired by his grandmother and is
scheduled to be the second release from this album, their voices blend
smoother than whipped butter. I'm told by their publicist that
"Wild Horses," written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, was
included on the album "because the song title is their
namesake." But when you hear their rendition of this euphonious
tune, you are going to think it was written just for them.
Their bio states, "They hope you'll stay tuned and ride with them
through the next adventure." If you are looking for great music,
good times and extraordinary entertainment I would suggest you accept
their invitation. Groups with a caliber of talent equal to theirs
are rare in any genre of music.
Bottom line is this: You've all seen and heard the wonderfully talented
and dynamic group called Trick Pony; well, Wild Horses is what happens
when a pony learns more than one trick. You get just pure, unadulterated
talent.
www.wildhorsesband.com
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