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CD review: Brandon Jenkins 'Through the Fire'

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RED DIRT

Red dirt singer-songwriter Brandon Jenkins reaffirms his reputation as a say-anything sort of guy on “Through the Fire.”

The Tulsa native penned all 12 tracks on his 11th album, which he coproduced with Dave Percefull and recorded at Yellow Dog Studios in his adopted hometown of Austin, Texas.

The guitar-wielding scribe frankly sings of love, sex and social injustice on his follow-up to 2011's “Under the Sun.” “Through the Fire” often finds Jenkins in a contemplative mood. With the twangy cautionary tale “Dance with the Devil,” he warns that when you waltz with Satan, “he don't change/you change.”

Jenkins proves he can still rock with the best of the red dirt guys, particularly on the boot-stomper “Horsemen Are Coming,” which sets an appropriately ominous tone for the prettier-than-it-ought-to-be lament “Oh What Times We Live In.”

His sobering blues-rocker “Burn Down the Roadhouse” tells the vivid tale of a small town crumbling into a ghost town. He also amps up the blues-rock with the sexy come-on “Leave the Lights On,” with Steve Littleton's keyboard grooves setting the mood.

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