Luba Dvorak - American Sin  (click on image to watch video)

 04 September 2019

Back in the mid-eighties, Steve Earle was hailed by critics as a Country-Flavored Bruce Springsteen. These days, Luba Dvorak’s music continues to carry that torch, blending Blue-Collar narratives and Honky-Tonk hooks.

Luba was born in Czechoslovakia, his family emigrated to Vancouver Canada when he was a kid. Music was an early touchstone, by his teens he began playing in bands, that led to international tours and myriad music industry gigs. In 2005 he put down roots in New York City and began his solo career. He recently relocated to Texas, and the move influenced his fifth album, “American Sin.”

The opening four tracks act as something of an aural travelogue. “Single Scoop” cloaks big city temptation in barrelhouse piano, willowy pedal steel and walking bass lines. With its boom-chicka-boom beat and keening pedal steel, “Brake Lights” take’s aim at the decadent allure of L.A. Luba notes “Cocaine and porn stars ain’t as fun  as they sound.” He kicks ass and takes names on “Brooklyn Twang,” name-checking heroes like Johhny, Willie, Waylon,  and Hank, Sr. Meanwhile, “Leaving Arizona” is an expansive ramble from the Grand Canyon state to Vegas to Napa.

Other interesting songs include the restless Mea culpa of “Irene,” the wistful recollection of “If I Go Down In Flames” and  the Stonesy swagger of “Queen Of The Rodeo.” The title track is a South Of The Border charmer offering an empathetic look at the immigration crisis.

The album closes with a faithful take on Tom Petty’s “Walls.”  Luba Dvorak is the real deal.

Eleni P. Austin - I was born into a large, loud Greek family and spent my formative years in the Los Angeles enclaves of Laurel Canyon and Los Feliz. My mother moved us to the Palm Springs area just in time for puberty and Disco.  I have spent over 40 years working in record stores, starting back in High School.

I wrote music reviews for the Desert Sun from 1983 to 1988. I began doing the same for the Coachella Valley Weekly in 2012.

I live in Palm Springs with my wife and our amazing dog, Denver. 

To Read All of Eleni P.'s Reviews, Click Here

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