Old Californio - Old Californio Country (2022)

Old Californio is the project of Rich Dembowski, a singer-songwriter who once collaborated with Ben Vaughn. Dembowski explored the country rock roots of Southern California with guitarist Woody Aplanalp and drummer Justin Smith. The debut Along The Cosmic Grass dates from 2006 and was followed by Westering Again and Sundrunk Angels. The psychedelic touch has now completely disappeared and makes way for a colorful country rock assembled in LA with the help of musicians from GospelBeach and I See Hawks.

Old Californio Country mainly houses classics from the country and folk genres and some more eclectic sidesteps. The regular song supplier Dembowski only composed a single song. The opener Shorten Your List, accompanied by fine acoustic picking, the equally strong I Wont Cry, provided by John Avila, guest musician of the rhythm section of Lukas Nelson present here, sounds just as beautiful with that typical, harmonic chants. I Say That Too mentions Woody Aplanalp as the author and that is also a not without merit with such a wonderful pedal steel.

That soaring string work also lards The Speed Of Sound Of Loneliness by Prine, but pales in comparison to Prine's original duet with his wife Rachel. Covering better-known work naturally entails risks, Wild Horses, which has been transformed into bluegrass, is also only moderately appealing to me, but it does work with the tranquil Because, a Beatles track from Abbey Road.

They sing it themselves in Stuff That Works, the ballad originating from Guy Clark more or less stands up here, but just like Merle Haggard's Lonesome Fugitive, in an unadulterated Everleys arrangement, passes a little too casually and the fine harmonica contribution cannot save Little Feat's Willin' either .

Although there is impeccable music and singing by this exquisite band of musicians in Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley, a return to more personal input with own songwork is appropriate for Old Californio.