Western Way: The Magazine of
the Western Music Association
Music Reviews
By O.J. Sikes
That Great Big Way
Out There (Random Factors 1009) It's very well done, with Joe's rustic baritone keeping the music down-to-earth, while his lyrics and liner notes take a serious look at the future and what it might be, if "we"
have the courage to draw from the well of human ingenuity and continue the quest for new frontiers.
Joe plays a lot of instruments, including (but not limited to) a Martin 12 string, classical and 6-string guitars, banjos and even an Hawaiian guitar and an electric sitar. He
and co-producer Dennis Putscher give the album a largely acoustic sound, but not entirely so.
It's not all Western, but there is an interesting Western piece by Nancy Freeman that opens and closes the album, titled "Overland Stage" and a couple of other
enjoyable tunes in the Western vein, "Benson Arizona" and "Big Ty's Ride," plus the humorous "Fishin' For Chickens," a favorite whereever Joe performs.
$17.60 from Random Factors, 3754 W 170th St, Torrance, CA 90504, or check out WhiteTreeAZ.com on the web.
Joe Bethancourt
Over the years, I've reviewed some forward-looking CDs, but the new one by Joe Bethancourt probably wins the prize. It's titled That Great Big Way Out There
and it takes Western and country music to, you might say, new heights, i.e. "the solar system (and beyond)."
