Album Review : The Mystiqueros : Agave

Jul 31, 2010 Uncategorized
Posted by Adam

The Mystiqueros are a band put together and fronted by Walt Wilkins, who has been a staple on the Americana music scene for quite some time. Personally, I was only turned on to Wilkins recently and I have one of his solo records, Vigil, which is a great singer/ songwriter driven album. With the Mystiqueros, Wilkins has found a way to keep the songwriting credibility and make a rock, soul and pop infused record.

Agave is the second release from the band, which features members that have all had successful careers of their own in the Texas music scene. When I listened to the album for the first time, I couldn’t help but, smile it just feels good all the way through. Wilkins’ voice is perfectly complimented by the others and the harmonies on the record are amazing.

As with so many great albums, love or finding love is a general theme that permeates throughout this one and Wilkins and company have the ability to write these songs without a hint of hokeyness that makes them universally relatable.

The album opens with “I Would Not Make it Through” which is an homage to the one who waits at home for the weary traveler who longs to be home. The line “I say my name twice into the bricks just to hear it bounce back” really goes a long way in describing the feeling of being alone that often comes with being on the road.

“Worry” chronicles the narrator’s realization that sometimes worrying about everyone else proves detrimental to your own development. “I thought you just wanted me to shake your hand, you held it out for a hand out and took my last dime” sums up what happens all too often when you attempt to please and help everyone and that feeling is captured perfectly in this song.

My favorite on the record is “Just Keep Driving”, an ode to life on the highway. With all of the downfalls of living on the road, it still continues to offer a sense of freedom that life settled down cannot provide. There is something to be said about not being tied down to everyday responsibilities and Wilkins does a great job of conveying that here.

Billed as Walt Wilkins and the Mystiqueros most places you can find the album, this is no way just a backing band. The cover in my opinion appropriately is labeled without Wilkins’ name. While Walt contributes most of the writing to the record, all of the members loan their vocals to the songs and when you hear them sing together you get the feeling that they have been playing together forever instead of just a few years. If I had to compare this record to something, I would say think of the better Paul Thorn records, and that is way this album feels.

You can learn more about Wilkins and the Mystiqueros at his website. While I really dig his solo stuff, I hope that this combination of band members continues to release albums even if they are sporadic.