Nearly five decades have passed since
the Flatlanders cut the album that would make them heroes of the budding Texas singer-songwriter community, even though only a tiny number of people ever heard it in its original release (on eight-track tape) in 1972. At 74 years old here,
Joe Ely is the youngest member of the trio, and it's hard to imagine what he and his bandmates
Jimmie Dale Gilmore and
Butch Hancock might still have left to say after a half-century of on-and-off collaboration. 2021's
Treasure of Love doesn't go out of its way to tell us what
the Flatlanders still have on their creative bucket lists, but it doesn't take long to get a line on why they made this album: they're three friends who still love music and each other's company, and there's a warm, comfortable feel to these performances that's the studio equivalent of a guitar pull around the bonfire on a Saturday night.
Treasure of Love features three songs written by
Hancock and one penned by
Ely, but otherwise it's devoted to cover tunes that have been in the
Flatlanders' live repertoire for ages. This may disappoint those who love these artists most for their songs -- not an unreasonable position to take -- yet that only bogs down this album so much. All three
Flatlanders sing with an enthusiasm that's honestly engaging, and their voices are in admirably good shape on these sessions (especially
Ely, who delivers "I Don't Blame You" and "Moanin' of the Midnight Train" with a force that would be noteworthy in a man half his age). You might think you don't need to hear another cover of either "Give My Love to Rose" or "She Belongs to Me," but
Hancock and
Gilmore, respectively, deliver them with a plain-spoken conviction that shows how much they love singing them, and it's hard to imagine anyone not getting caught up in their passion and their charm. The closing ramble through "Sittin' on Top of the World" is four and a half minutes of pure joy.
Lloyd Maines' production is clear and crisp and makes the most of the performers individually and collectively.
Treasure of Love isn't a pathbreaking masterpiece for
the Flatlanders, but that's not the sort of album they were likely to make at this point in their lives. Instead, it's an affirmation of their friendship and their love of music, and if you've ever cared about any or all of the group members, this will make you very happy. ~ Mark Deming
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