I only had one new piece go up at Spectrum Culture, but it was a fairly distinctive one. Capitol Records recent reissued four old country albums on vinyl and apparently actively solicited reviews from various outlets. The editor-in-chief sent out an email asking if anyone was interested in reviewing the respective titles, and my many, many hours as a kid (and I’m talking single digits here) sitting in front of my grandparents’ big console stereo listening to Kenny Rogers records made it clear that I needed to participate. I went ahead and claimed The Gambler. Listening to it again, for probably the first time in thirty years, wasn’t quite as nostalgic as I expected. I didn’t have the sort of sense memory flashback that I experience when I watch a certain portion of The Last Waltz, for example. Instead, it was largely just a record, one with one excellent song and a lot that spoke to the ugly transition of Nashville country from George Jones to Garth Brooks. Anyway, I’m fairly pleased with the resulting piece of writing.