Atlantic (all still awaiting release on compact disc), and they were members of the Band touring unit for awhile in the '80s. They're well-known in the Ozarks and surrounding region. Still, Radioland is their first compact disc ever and first recording since 1979. Not surprisingly, it's richer and deeper than any of their earlier works.
Besides offering a batch of great new original songs, Jay Sheffield's stylish production touches give the Cates a chance to show the same kind of blues sense on disc that they've always displayed onstage. Vocalist Ernie Cate's classic soul pipes spread warmth around like a big old wood stove (check out "Damned Guilty Blues" or "Solid Ground" for hot embers), and the band gathers around it in fine fashion.
Best of all, guitarist Earl Cate, always an expressive and charismatic player, finally gets the chance to really cut loose on disc like he does live. He's never been better than on "Am I Losing You," building to a climax that provides the disc's finest moment. All in all, Radioland is what those other Arkansan sibling wannabe musicians, Roger and Bill, wish they sounded like. -- Leland Rucker