Homemade Tamales: Live at Floores ［2CD+DVD］

Containing two discs of live cuts, the 2014 collection Homemade Tamales indeed has a rustic, ragged feel that sometimes feels a little earthy, and sometimes a little spicy. Collected from two October 2013 performances at Floore's Country Store in Helotes, Texas, this finds the Randy Rogers Band at a loose, limber, muscular peak -- regional kings surveying their territory. Certainly, the double-disc, 26-song length of Homemade Tamales would seem too long for the unconverted, yet the album demonstrates the depth of the band's catalog and their musical versatility is amply and casually on display in a way it isn't on the studio albums. There are moments that are purely acoustic balanced by plenty of incidents where the entire band are featured in full-flight, allowing themselves to settle into a groove or perhaps stretch out and improvise. More than any simple studio album, this shows the connection between the Randy Rogers Band, and while its length may keep the curious away, it's that eclecticism that makes it worthwhile for those who have yet to learn the pleasures of the RRB. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine