The Burrito Brothers: “Together” (2023) CD Review

Starting in the late 1960s, The Flying Burrito Brothers have had an unusual and twisted journey, with many different lineups and name changes, including Burrito Deluxe and The Burritos. Somewhere along the way, they stopped flying, and are now The Burrito Brothers. What’s wild is that throughout all these changes in personnel, which started almost immediately, the group has put out some wonderful music. Logically, perhaps, it shouldn’t happen that way. After all, none of the original members are still active in the band, and those that replaced the original members are also no longer a part of it, and the ones that replaced them aren’t either. It’s difficult to even keep track of how many changes have occurred, with occasional older members returning and then going (a large chart is needed to follow this band’s journey). Yet somehow whoever it is that is recording under the various Burrito names seem destined to put out good music. Go figure. The latest album put out by The Burrito Brothers is Together, which was released almost a year ago. The band for this album is made up of Chris P. James on vocals, keyboard and harmonica; Bob Hatter on electric guitar, acoustic guitar and vocals; Tony Paoletta on pedal steel guitar, dobro, 12-string guitar, banjo, mandolin and vocals; and Peter Young on drums, percussion, vocals and acoustic guitar. The album is dedicated to Bob Hatter, who died before the album was completed. He had played on the 2018 album Still Going Strong and the 2020 release The Notorious Burrito Brothers, the latter’s title clearly a play on The Byrds’ The Notorious Byrd Brothers, which came out in 1968, the year The Flying Burrito Brothers group was founded as sort of an offshoot of The Byrds. Taking over for Bob Hatter on this disc is Steve Allen on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass and vocals. There are also guests on a couple of tracks. This album features original material.

The album opens with “Ms. Misery,” which has those sweet, mellow folk and country elements this band is known and loved for, and it features some nice work on pedal steel. This song was written by Chris P. James and Bob Hatter. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Mean Ms. Misery, mean Ms. Misery/The saying goes she loves company/But now I know I wish it wasn’t me/My heart is broken and I’m on my knees/Praying for mercy, mercy, please, oh, Ms. Misery.” There is a little guitar section that might remind you of The Byrds. That’s followed by “Mr. Customs Man.” This is an interesting one, for Gram Parsons gets a songwriting credit on it, along with Chris P. James and Bob Hatter. As I understand it, it is based on the written lyrics to “L.A. Customs Blues,” a version of which was recorded by Carl Jackson on the 2000 release The Gram Parson Notebook: The Last Whippoorwill. It’s great that these guys present this song, for it combines the earliest of the Burritos with the latest. Plus, it’s a good song. I love the way it builds in energy toward the end, and features some great stuff on guitar. These guys add their own lyrics as well, and at the end they comment, “That was fun.” Indeed.

“Together,” the album’s title track, has a cool psychedelic vibe as it starts. It feels like it’s prepared to explore some interesting territory, and I am immediately on board. Even the pedal steel has a psychedelic edge, which is wonderful. And it’s a love song. “This love’s a work of art/And we should stay forever/Let’s hope our road is long.” Toward the end, there is a short spoken word section, “So we’ve got this isolation, we’ve got this world full of haters,” which is in some contrast to the sweet aspect of most of this track’s drive. This one was written by Chris P. James, and it’s one of my favorites. Ronnie Rael plays guitar on this track. And speaking of love, the next song is titled “I Find Love,” in which they sing “I find love in everything you do.” Nice. Another line that stands out for me is, “Before you there was nothing I ever held onto,” and in that line, I like how there is a pause after the word “nothing,” at first giving the impression that nothing whatsoever existed before that person came into his life. It feels that way sometimes, doesn’t it, like it’s strange that there was anything before the love of our lives showed up. This track features some good work on guitar.

Ron Guilbeau joins the group on guitar for “Let Go,” a song he co-wrote with Chris P. James and Rick Lonow. “Lay down your burden/Shackles and chains/Even when you’re hurtin’/Love remains.” I like the positive and friendly message in those opening lines, and I like the way they combine the idea of letting go with the directive “Let’s go” in the line “Let go, let go, let go, let’s go, let’s go,” the idea of moving on in more than one way. “Tonight let’s have good times/We may as well sing/Might just be someone listening.” This track features some lovely work on pedal steel, and there is a nice jam at the end. That is followed by “Blood On His Hands,” which has a stronger country vibe, with prominent work on pedal steel at its heart. Its lyrics are pure country: “I have spent my whole life out on the road/The last time that we spoke, I knew you weren’t alone/And the rumors that I’m hearing are more than I can stand/That’s what a heartache can do to a man.” This one was written by Tony Paoletta, Bob Hatter, Chris P. James and Peter Young. It features some nice vocal work.

“Boiling Point” begins oddly, with a montage of different audio pieces, including a baseball announcer saying “Just a bit outside.” The actual song begins nearly thirty seconds into the track. There is a great energy to this song, particularly in the vocal performance. “The night is still ahead/Feel the heat, through and through/Love’s sweet fire touching you.” It is more in the rock vein, and there is something catchy about this song. There is also something playful to this one, which you can hear especially at the end. Then “Streets Of Santa Rosa” has a pleasant, sweet vibe from its start. “We drove through the night/The mountains were high/A full tank of gas kept us on course.” It is interesting that after the “mountains were high” line, the pedal steel sounds like a vehicle approaching and passing, a really nice touch. This song looks back to the band’s roots in the lines, “Then The Byrds started singing/About a tambourine man.”  The song functions as a sweet goodbye to Bob Hatter: “You played your heart out and everyone knows.” It is a moving tribute. “Your memory goes on burning so bright/But the streets of Santa Rosa are dark tonight.” That’s followed by a pretty and gentle love song titled “I Live For Loving You,” written by Chris P. James. “From this day on, I’ll never be without you/I promise to prove my love in everything I do.”

The album concludes with “History Suite,” a piece that is made up of seven different sections, each given its own title. The first section is titled “Rhapsody.” “Hey look, see here what you’ve done to me/Caused a rhapsody.” It features some nice work on banjo. The song then takes an unexpected turn, with some spoken word mixed with strange sounds, this part titled “Abstract Collage.” It’s odd, but something beautiful emerges from that, an instrumental section that features pedal steel and begins the “History” part of this piece. These lines stand out in these strange and trying times: “Everyone’s mad, everyone’s crazy/And I’m here for you.” The pace then increases, and this section’s first line, “So you want to be a music critic,” is a reference to The Byrds’ “So You Want To Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Star.” There is a bite to the delivery, and certainly there is resentment expressed here, leading me to wonder just what some critics might have said. This section, however, is called “Keep On Movin’,” and so it ultimately has a positive vibe. That section leads to “I Just Love My Baby,” because of course it always comes back to love. What else is there? This section contains a reference to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night: “For music is the food of love.” That line refers to the first line of the play, “If music be the food of love, play on.” The piece returns to “History” briefly before closing with “Goodbye,” which offers the playful comment, “We’ll be better next time.”

CD Track List

1. Ms. Misery
2. Mr. Customs Man
3. Together
4. I Find Love
5. Let Go
6. Blood On His Hands
7. Boiling Point
8. Streets Of Santa Rosa
9. I Live For Loving You
10. History Suite

Together was released on August 25, 2023.