The “cliffhanger” ending of this CD’s opening track suggests its singer is “looking for a place in time I’ve never been before.” That pursuit has made Richard Elloyan the purveyor of some of the most interesting stories and original music in the Contemporary Cowboy catalogue. If occasionally some Elloyan songs take more than one pass to fully grasp, at least you always know the effort’s worth it as their full gifts unfold in layers. With lines of color like “he was a six-foot twisted cowboy with a face like a broken bone,” or “estimated time is no time…chasin’ down that windshield moon,” Richard Elloyan paints his songs with truly striking images. Among the other treats this time are “Tumbleweed Heart” (the very ‘freight train soul and tumbleweed heart’ of a drifting song), “Twenty Years” (contender for one of the sweetest cowboy love songs ever), “Impossible Blue” (a roll-out cowboy call from the spirit of the west) and “Outlaw Run” (a steely song with a kick of irony)! Plus there’s a new take of his also-ironic “Hangman’s Tune” from his debut CD. Richard Elloyan is always quite a ride. Saddle up! Rick Huff, Best of the West Reviews