About this Artist

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Editorial Reviews

Michael Martin Murphey's enigmatic second album for A&M, Cosmic Cowboy Souvenir, in many ways began an enigmatic period in Texas music during the early 1970s. Like its predecessor, Geronimo's Cadillac, Cosmic Cowboy Souvenir was produced by the legendary Bob Johnston. Unlike Geronimo, this set is more introspective, with starker, more elegant textures and more surreal lyrical landscapes. The title track which opens the album is a free flowing country-ish tune carried by unplugged six strings, pedal steel, and muted trap drums. Murphey was deep into the mythological archetypes of his Southwestern heritage -- albeit with a hippie's sense of time, place and cosmology. The ease and good-time grace that permeate the tune make it a natural Austin, Texas anthem. From there, with the beautifully haunting "Alleys of Austin," Murphey's poetic muse takes over and shimmers over the proceedings. The tempo is slow, the sound is soft, whispering along his lines, and images of stoned preachers, funky angels, and Jesus himself rolling by in an old Ford, assert themselves in the gentleness of the mix. The rootsy "South Canadian River Song," written with Gary P. Nunn, almost floats it's so airy and haunting. With its nearly baroque structure it nonetheless retains its mawkish country/pop charm. And so it goes into the glorious, broken gospel piano and poetry tome "Blessing in Disguise." This is Murphey at his very best: the tune has a classic pop hook, is kissed lightly in the chorus by country gospel and feels like the other side of Kris Kristofferson's "Sunday Morning Comin' Down." The other classic here is the turtle-paced bluesy ragtime of "Drunken Lady of the Morning," featuring the most poignant lyrics Murphey ever penned. The rollicking stomp of "Prometheus Busted" is slightly corny lyrically, but its shambolic boogie structure is a standout on an album full of slower tunes. The remastered CD version contains beautiful sound, a deluxe booklet, and five bonus cuts recorded live in Austin in 1970 -- including a haunted early acoustic version of "Wildfire." This and its predecessor are enigmatic offerings from the new Texas singer/songwriter movement -- two years before Willie and Waylon showed up with the outlaws. Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

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