Australia's best-kept secret is an absolute treasure!
Johnny Roulette | 11/28/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Tex Perkins(of Beasts Of Bourbon/The Cruel Sea/Tex, Don & Charlie fame) follows up his debut solo release, Far Be It From Me, with an even better effort on Dark Horses. The bonus disc is an absolute must for Tex fans. It features Charlie Owens on guitar. Tracks 1-5 were recorded live in Sydney on 2/9/00. The first song is Can't Say No(originally app. on Beasts Of Bourbon-The Low Road). The next two are from Far Be It From(This Is Forever & Her Own Life). Tracks 4 & 5 are from the Tex Don & Charlie era(songs: What I Done To Her & Still The Same). The sixth and final bonus track is Splendid Lie(recorded live-10/23/00). These are smooth quality live recordings, not the usual noisy garbage throw-aways you sometimes find on bonus discs. The actual Dark Horses CD is a mellow collections of beautiful, realistic realtionship tales featuring guitars(Charlie Owens), electric piano, drums, cello, sandpaper, bass, tambouroine, organ, glockenspiel, violin & lap steel. Highlights include I Know Y'Know, Please Break Me Gently & the standout track- Blissfully Blind. There's also a hidden track...a differnt version of She Speaks A Different Language. Tex has never been more soulful than he is on Dark Horses. He may not be a Bob Dylan lyrically, but he is well above adequate as a songwriter. Produced by Tony Cohen. Cohen has produced many albums for Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds + Beasts Of Bourbon. Find out why Tex Perkins is a famous musical figure in Australia. This is an amazing release without the bonus CD. It can only be enhanced by the inclusion of an extra CD that would have been an excellent EP on its own merits. Enjoy! The picture next to the title at the top of this page is not correct. That is not Tex. This cover looks like the regular Dark Horses release. The differnce is that this one is a foldout digi-pack with room for the bonus CD."
Enjoy your rain shower
Nick Strand | Lake Stevens, WA USA | 06/27/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Tex Perkins finds a groove in this mellow acoustic album which displays his vocal talents very well. The once lead singer for The Cruel Sea, Tex is well known by many Australian listeners. New listeners will appreciate his blue style and deep raspy voice, along with some good guitar work. Although his success has been confined to Australia so far, hopefully more will come to know the sound of Tex Perkins. His mood goes well with Jeff Buckley's "Grace" as well as Fiona Apple."
Dark Horses a must have CD
*binarystar* | 11/19/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I have had this album on my 'must buy' cd list for some time and I finally got around to making the purchase in 2004. All I can say is that I should have purchased it earlier.
A wash of alternative-rock-country-blues etched with dark and somber imagery. However it's not melancholic, just quietly introspective and laid-back.
Works very well with a cup of coffee/tea, a newspaper and a lazy Sunday afternoon.
"
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1