Blaze Foley and The Beaver Valley Boys Cold, Cold World (CD)

(Lost Art Records) 17 tracks, digipack

The posthumous work of Blaze Foley continues. Cold, Cold World collects the Austin native's earliest recordings, now mythic: Houston in 1979, Fredericksburg in 1980. The Beaver Valley Boys (Foley reportedly wanted an all-female band) were led by a young Gurf Morlix on guitar and featured Riley Osbourn on piano. As with each of Foley's albums, the songs are the attraction, even if they are a bit tentative - which is to be expected with anyone's first studio experience. The startlingly effective takes on familiar tunes like the melancholy "Picture Cards" and the somber "Rainbows and Ridges" may be reason enough for CCW. His manic sense of humor rings loud and clear in the too-country "New Wave Blues" and the sweetly shuffled "No Goodwill Stores in Waikiki." Of the 17 songs, six make their first appearance here. It's not for beginners, but Cold, Cold World offers another fascinating glimpse into Blaze Foley's songwriting genius.