Track Dogs - Fire on the Rails (2019/2020)

Fire on the Rails is Track Dogs’ second LP recorded on the Studer A80 analog tape machine recovered from Abbey Road at Playground Studio in Madrid. Since Kansas City Out Groove (2018) and their compilation of ukulele-based recordings, Uke Songs By Track Dogs (2019), the band has deepened and elaborated its sound explored. Producer Germán Gutiérrez has managed to make Track Dogs pack even more punch and achieve grandeur in the sound that they’ve been cultivating over more than 100 songs in their recording career.

As on their last album (Kansas City Out Groove), Track Dogs turned to Nashville talent to up the game on their compositions. Eli Bishop (Grand Ole Opry, Wynton Marsalis) provides string arrangements for “Love And War”, “On The Last Night” and “Abi’s Lullaby”. In line with the Nashville connection, Americana star, Ashley Campbell lends her pristine banjo picking to “Don’t Delay”. Track Dogs have extended the reach of their established sound to the realm of world music with “Love And War”. Apart from the strings of Eli Bishop and a cracking doumbek, the album’s lead track pulls together folk legends Phil Beer of Show of Hands, grammy-winning Lisa Gutkin of the Klezmatics and Fergal Scahill of We Banjo 3 to elevate the call for unity and tolerance that “Love And War” shouts for. Danny Erker (The Jones St. Boys) also adds some stellar mandolin to the track "Dragonfly's Castle".

Track Dogs show off the group’s strength and growth in that lead vocals, mostly Garrett Wall, are also shared out by trumpeter Howard Brown in “And The Piano Sings” - a tribute to Freddy Mercury - and percussionist Robbie K. Jones in “I’ve Needed You” and “Dragonfly’s Castle”.