3 Pairs of Boots - Boot Scootin' (2024) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Boot Scootin'
02. Tempt My Fate
03. Please Tell Me
04. Upon a High Horse
05. Long Rider
06. Reno
07. Lost & Found
08. Dark Sun Rising
09. My American Boy
10. Runaway

A tax accountant and a punk walk into a bar lugging their gear—and no, that’s not the opening line of a bad joke. That’s 3 Pairs of Boots, a California-based Americana duo whose fourth album, Boot Scootin’, is out this Friday. Andrew Stern and Laura Arias, who married within a year of meeting via his “singer wanted” ad, cite such influences as Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds, Johnny Cash and Shania Twain, but their sound also incorporates flashes of Fleetwood Mac and Tom Petty. I hear Highway 101 in spots, too.

To return to the lede: When they met, he was balancing a weekday career in San Francisco with pursing music at night and on weekends, while she—though a punk in spirit—sang in a hard rock/metal group and, later, an ’80s-styled rock band. It wasn’t until he sold his business in the late ‘10s that music became a full-time gig.

Boot Scootin’ is a strong set of twang-infused Americana that features an occasional AOR vibe. The lively title track ably conveys the mood of 9-to-5ers seeking weekend relief by kicking up the dust on a dance floor. “Tempt My Fate,” for its part, is a two-step delight that conjures “Ring of Fire” while celebrating love, fate and faith. “Please Tell Me,” which follows, injects a little whistling into the mix at its start—and features a tremendous vocal from Arias. “Upon a High Horse,” for its part, is a bluesy tour de force; its musical framework reminds me to an extent Lone Justice’s second album, when they swapped cowpunk for a sleeker sound. The scenic “Long Rider,” which follows, unreels the journey that plays out over the course of a lifetime—and the friends who lend support along the way.

“Reno” is sure to stir thoughts of the Heartbreakers—but with Stevie Nicks out front instead of Tom Petty—while lending apt advice to those who hope to beat casino dealers. Arias has a distinctive voice, which is on full display with “Lost & Found.” In it, she reflects on quitting her life to start over again—something folks of a certain age will relate to, I’m sure.

“Dark Sun Rising” finds Arias—in a therapeutic frame of mind, no doubt—addressing someone who unstitched their heart from their sleeve and pushed her away. “You’re like dark clouds cancelling the light before the storm comes,” she sings, though—oddly—there’s little venom being spit. There’s a sadness, instead: “I carry you in my heart, my starchild.” It sports a Fleetwood Mac sheen, much as “My American Boy”—about a special someone—revisits the Heartbreakers vibe. The acoustic-minded “Runaway” ends the album on a sweet note.

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