(Blind Nello) Though Mark David Manders has been playing his music around Texas since 1992, and has been releasing albums since 1994, (Headin' Out West, and 1996's People And Places), he didn't come to my attention until his 1997 release, Tales From The Couch Circuit, when the 'Texas Music' sound started picking up steam and began trickling out of Texas to points beyond. With that CD, he won me over as a fan, and then with his 2000 follow-up, the acclaimed Chili Pepper Sunset, he won a faithful follower.

Last fall, Mark returned with his long awaited 5th release, Highs And Lows. The album is a bit of a departure for Mark, as the songs are his most personal to date, and the album title reflects pretty much how his life has been since the release of Chili Pepper Sunset. Mark has mused he felt that since the rise in popularity of 'Texas Music,' there's few artists out there that are pushing the envelope, trying new sounds, and are writing songs that strive to not only entertain, but provoke thought. Mark and his band, Neuvo Tejas performed part-time, while they held down regular full time jobs to pay the bills. When Chili Pepper Sunset became an unexpected hit, fueled by the hit song "Blackjack Road," Mark decided to quit his job and concentrate on his music full time. However, the rest of the band wasn't ready to take that step, and Mark found himself having to find a new band. Then there were problems with the IRS, his booking agent dumped him, and he was faced with turning the big 4-0 with a wife and triplets to support. He took all that turmoil and the resulting emotions, and turned them into songs, songs where he pushes that creative envelope.

Mark still includes plenty of his trademark sound, those insanely catchy, 'cut above the rest' steel and fiddle driven 'Texas Music' style honky tonkers that have won him a faithful following among both the 'Shiner Bock' and the dance hall crowds with songs like "Clovis Highway," "Drive," "Sam Houston," "Ward's Song," "Leaving San Angelo" and the family-centric "Halloween Costumes And Leftover Pizza." Those songs alone would have made Highs And Lows another outstanding effort, however, it's when he 'pushes the envelope' that he soars to new heights.

The album's centerpiece is the achingly tortured ballad, "Just Me," which deals with the way one's upbringing often collides and conflicts with the realities of life as one grows older. The dryly humorous and completely offbeat standout, "Suicidal Pigeon," which is actually a conversation with a pigeon delivered in narrative style, reveals some of the ironies and truths of life. Mark tells a powerful tale of the violent and dusty old west in the dark "Hell's Half Acre," made even more menacing by opening with the thunderous reading of Jeremiah 17:4 by Billy Joe Shaver. "Follow Me" is a joyous tale of true love, but with a very rustically rootsy, 'down home' feel. "Oxford, Mississippi" is perhaps the most unusual song, where Mark incorporates 'ye olde English' musical flourishes throughout the melody. The outstanding "Fat Tuesday" is the album's most personal song, where he tells of family addictions, his IRS problems and assorted family worries.

Highs And Lows is produced by Lloyd Maines (who also contributes instrumentally and vocally), and in addition to Billy Joe Shaver, other guest musicians include Max Stalling, Rod Pyeat, John Inmon and Buddy Livingston, to name but a few. Mark David Manders has pushed both himself and the creative envelope and takes 'Texas Music' and adds fresh, new elements and perspectives that bridge the the gap between the rowdier sounds that appeal to the younger college crowd and the ones that appeal to an older crowd that likes music that they can not only dance to, but relate to. Mark David Manders succeeds brilliantly on all counts with Highs And Lows.