Joshua Roy Brown, the son of the country songwriter Les Brown, may never have come up with anything to top the old man's biggest hit, Abilene. But he's already had a longer and more productive musical career than his father -- although that's not saying much. Abilene was written one night in the bathtub, the one and only song ever written by a man who went on to open legendary Chicago folk club The Gate of Horn with Albert Grossman, future manager of Bob Dylan. Dinner with Johnny Cash when not even a teenie-weenie? No problem. Out of such a background -- oh what mighty names we have dropped -- came a young, wandering minstrel who, like so many before him, found his way to New York City's East Village. By this time the type of music-business heavy available to befriend included producer and recording whiz Martin Bisi, not Peter, Paul Mary. Brown exudes a confidence in his material and performances, following his own clear direction despite whatever distractions filter in from current trends. His debut album under his own name, Can't Look Back, was released in 2000 and even includes a cover version of Abilene. The track is more than just a tribute to his father and the art of composing whilst soaking. Since the song became a country standard, Brown's recording can provide an opportunity to compare his own fine baritone vocalizing with the efforts of any number of country stalwarts, even some easy listening crooners who have covered the portrait of a lazy Texas town. Brown also spotlights his robust guitar playing in the context of his band the Living Bejeezus. Since the early '90s he has also made a few appearances on recording sessions playing both dobro and electric slide guitar, sometimes credited as Josh Brown. In these cases he should not be confused with the heavy metal vocalist who formerly fronted the Full Devil Jacket band. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi