Album Review: The Mavericks - In Time

It's been ten years since their last LP, but seeing as most fans (and members) of multi-platinum-selling Tejano group  The Mavericks never expected to see them in the same room together again, no one's questioning the wait. They still sound like Roy Orbsion, Richie Valens and Los Lobos and they still pack together a whole raft of different influences – the only thing that separates this from the band's past is that they stray further from traditional country music than ever.

The beauty of these songs is the juxtaposition between the music and lyrics; you won't hear a song as jolly as Lies with lyrics as bitter and glum. The intense call and response of Come Unto Me, the optimism of Fall Apart and the bar room slow burn of Forgive Me kick the album along nicely, but by the time Dance In The Moonlight rolls around, it feels like the band are out of ideas. The grand, cinematic (Call Me) When You Get To Heaven changes that, showing there are great new ideas in the band's hat; it's a shame they had to hide them 45 minutes in.

There's a slickness and precision to this music that can be learned, but it's the way that this band plays together that makes them more than just capable. It's the way their grooves lock together and the way the sound of each of their instruments works up against the other without any one element dominating the spotlight that makes it sound, frankly, perfect. There's little new and nothing groundbreaking here, but for fans of The Mavericks – and Tex-Mex in general – that's probably what'll make In Time such a winner.