Description

10 of the album’s 13 tracks were written by members of the group, and the songs are so well written, most listeners can’t distinguish the standards from the originals. As always with this band, variety keeps things spicy. Five different lead singers deliver a wide assortment of material. The Bob Wills-sounding title track, Tommy’s pensive “Old Town”, John’s homemade “Neely’s Bend Quick Step” and Pappy’s sentimental “Waltz for Sue Ann” are among the valuable additions to the Western Swingers’ repertoire. Featuring terrific art design by Garrett Rittenberry (Guerilla Design), and an environmentally friendly DigiPak case, Open that Gate was mostly mixed and mastered by Matt Spicher, who’s produced and engineered for big shots like Johnny Cash, Marty Stuart, and Pam Tillis.