Now Again

The Flatlanders--Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock--first came together in Lubbock, Texas, in 1971. Along with musical saw player Steve Wesson and mandolinist Tony Pearson, they recorded one of the great "lost" albums of all time, a quirky acoustic-music gem that finally saw the light of day in 1990, when Rounder released the aptly named More a Legend Than a Band.

Ely, Gilmore, and Hancock have since gone on to forge distinguished musical careers: Ely as a Texas roots rocker, Gilmore as a mystical country crooner, and Hancock as a celebrated songwriter. Now Again, produced by Ely, marks the group's first album-length collaboration in 30 years. And if it lacks the charm of their first effort--there's nothing here that compares with Gilmore's "Dallas" and "Tonight I'm Gonna Go Downtown"--it still has a certain appeal that comes from putting three old friends together in the studio and rolling some tape.

With the exception of Utah Phillips's "Going Away," all the songs were written by Ely, Gilmore, and Hancock, and they sing them in various duo and trio combinations. Some work better than others--standouts include the bouncy rocker "My Wildest Dreams Grow Wilder Every Day" and the country ballad "Down on Filbert's Rise"--but all are worth a listen. --David Hill