Cowboys in the Campfire

The very name Tommy Stinsons Cowboys in the Campfire -- the appellation the former Replacements and Guns N Roses bassist gives his duo with his longtime associate Chip Roberts -- is a nod that this group is a country & western outfit. Thats not necessarily the same thing as an Americana act. As Wronger, their 2023 debut, makes clear, Cowboys in the Campfire is too ramshackle to be an Americana band, lacking any hint of artistic pretension and caring not a whit for genre authenticity. Wronger is nominally roots music, but those roots are tangled, consisting of strands of country music, rockabilly, cowboy tunes, and twilight ballads. The kind of songs that sound good when strummed by a campfire, in other words, a vibe that Wronger captures even when the simple tunes are fleshed out either by a full band or a dash of strings. Stinsons rumpled charm and casual touch make Wronger sound tossed off in the best sense: its light and intimate, the kind of record two old friends make when they just want to relax and enjoy each others company. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine