Randy Rogers Band
Like It Used To Be
Downtime Records

Like It Used To Be is the first full-length studio recording by the five-piece San Marcos-based Randy Rogers Band. It is a follow-up to 2000s Live At Cheatham Street Warehouse.

From the opening of the first track, "Disappear, with the classic needle-to-vinyl effect to the end of the hilarious bonus track (with Adam Carroll) "Full Blown Girl," Like It Used To Be is a wonderful introduction to the great sounds of this band.

The Randy Rogers Band could fall in the same Americana/Country/Texas Music category as Cross Canadian Ragweed, Dub Miller, Cooder Graw, and Pat Green. One song, "Tommy Jackson," paints a great story, like one I'd expect to find on a Robert Earl Keen album. "Memory" is the classic lost-love, lost-everything, drinking to and drinking away the memory of the past ballad.

There are some light-hearted songs on this album as well. The bonus track mentioned before serves as one. "Friends With Benefits" (a duet with Libbi Bosworth) hits you with a chorus that many have thought about, but few would admit. "I'm so sick and tired of all your hissy fits. We've got irreconcilable differences. If we could just say no to this relationship. Then we could be best friends with benefits."

Randy Rogers, vocals/acoustic guitar, is the author or co-author of ten of the eleven offerings on this disc. He has a way with words, and has a great voice to lend to his writings. The band is made up of Taylor Neese (bass/mandolin/harmony vocals), Geoffrey Hill (guitar/harmony vocals), Hector Del Toro (drums), and Eddie Foster (pedal steel) who penned "Copano Bay." These are a tight bunch of musicians on Like It Used To Be.

Produced by ex-Groobee Scott Merlott, Like It Used To Be does a great job of capturing and preserving the energy of the band. I've yet to catch them live, but that will soon change.

I highly suggest picking it up. I can honestly say there is not a weak song, or a song thrown in for filler, on this album.