Red Meat – Albums

"We Never Close is Red Meat's fourth, and finest, album...a knockout time start to finish." No Depression

"Red Meat's contribution to the Americana universe is to stoke the legendary fires of that old Bakersfield sound, as once done by Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. Oakland honky tonkers Red Meat have absorbed a wide spectrum of their predecessors, and their country music is not "all hat"; they go far beyond aping their influences and capture some of that cosmic American soul that Gram Parsons was chasing after on We Never Close. Simply put: this is a great country album that nods to an era when "country" meant something altogether different." AllMusic.com

"They come hailed as California’s finest honky tonk band...do the claims have musical merit? Yep! Let them claim the title. My take on We Never Close? I loved it. Musically, there’s not a dud in the pack. For an album of honed and lyrically satisfying tunes, this is one band not to miss when they hit your local bar; and this is one album you need for the collection…after all, they are California’s finest." – CountryStarsOnline.com

"From the opening twanging of "Honky Tonk Habit" Red Meat firmly establishes their pedigree as a Bakersfield-influenced country group...good material and great arrangements...a great listen that's never boring, and would prove especially fun for those roots-rock fans with an affinity for twang." – Country Standard Time

"With the release of its third CD, Alameda County Line, the Bay Area's own Red Meat confirms itself as not only the best local representative of the no frills honky-tonk Central Valley traditions of Bakersfield (Merle Haggard, Buck Owens) and Modesto (Maddox Brothers and Rose), but one of the best country bands working outside the pop constraints of Nashville, period." SF Bay Guardian

"The sound consists of expertly performed hard-core honky tonk and western swing, with Young's solid lyrics and sense of humor highly visible. Good times and polished grooves abound from beginning to end." San Jose Mercury News

"The third album by West Coast honky-toners Red Meat is a well-produced, highly listenable affair...Alternating between scruffy and smooth, the whole project hums under Dave Alvin's production. Classic country music, born 3,000 miles away from Nashville." – Billboard

"The band puts a gleeful spin on the tight, propulsive sound of West Coast stalwarts Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and Dwight Yoakam. On its third and latest album Alameda County Line, Red Meat also branches into Western swing, Willie Nelson-style country blues and nimble novelty numbers that are clever raather than corny." – Country Music Magazine

THIRTEEN (1999, Produced by Dave Alvin)

Track Listing

1. Cry a Little Bit
2. I'm No Stranger
3. I'm a One Woman Man
4. Teetotalin' Time
5. I Just Can't Get You off my Mind
6. Deep Water
7. The Show Must Go On
8. Marie
9. Baby Beats Me the Best
10. The Heartache's on Me
11. Poverty Line
12. Broken Up and Blue
13. Cattle Drive

"There's not a whiff of artifice – just the joy of making classic-sounding country." Los Angeles Times

"13 is a lucky number for everybody who thinks country music's been going downhill since the Buckaroos broke up. San-Francisco-based Red Meat sound like they stepped out of a time warp to show those smart-ass new traditionalists what old time country was really like" Country Standard Time

"The group's signature vocal harmonies and devastatingly twangy Telecaster frame the catchy and often funny originals perfectly: The breakdown on "12 Inch 3 Speed Oscillating Fan" blows our skirt way, way up. Must be the Bakersfield in us." SF Weekly

"This debut is an exhilarating introduction to the Bay Area honky tonk scene from the band leading the pack, Red Meat . Proud of the heritage they are carrying into the next millennium, Red Meat makes no bones about their affinity for Buck Owens , Don Rich and the Bakersfield sound. "Highway of Heartaches" is one heck of a ride right down the middle of the old San Joaquin Valley in spirit and content. Texas swing is given a face lift as they dive into "Texas-Texas," while their humor is flaunted on the hit "The Girl with the Biggest Hair" and the potent "Nashville Fantasy." Strong songwriting and execution makes this a disc bound to be played over and over again." Music.com