Words by Lady Godiva
Joe James Boyle lives in London but his mind wanders over 5000 miles away, flying over the scenic landscapes of the wild West. This dreamer’s music encompasses the whole cowboy pack: an outlaw mind and a broken heart obsessing over femme fatales, his guitar playing is as loaded as a gun and his heartbreak is poured into bottles that he gulps down as fast as Townes Van Zandt.
However, the main inspiration that permeates through his lonesome tales is the Byrd that flew alone, aka Gene Clark, a tragically underrated Missouri born Los Angeles transplant. This materializes in Cowboy Suite Deluxe’s song-craft atmosphere, in the longing for something that once was or will never be. One can hear that emotional trouble, paired with the karma of a lucid, doomed but lovable soul.
Boyle wears his heart on his sleeve and tells stories in crooning vocals, accompanied with a couple of his regular sidekicks Daniel Armstrong and Jan Hassler, as well as other impromptu guests. The word Deluxe evokes the second record from one of Gram Parsons‘ famous outfits and therefore gives a foretaste of the desert. You won’t even need a retro ride or a badass motorcycle like the Flying Burrito Brothers, “Riders” is your one way ticket to Joshua Tree.
The band’s musings through articulate lyrics tell of a wept conscience but clear ambition, a cowboy’s dilemma and mantra as both God and the Devil rack his soul and while this tune sets your foot in the stirrup with its abrasive guitar sound, “Lonesome Cowboy” makes your mind linger in desert land sentimentally. Unrequited love gives bad boys the blues. Keep following the sinuous wanderings of tormented spirits with the picturesque songs of Cowboy Suite Deluxe.
‘Riders’ was released on the 11th May 2020 and is available to listen to on Spotify and YouTube Music
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