The songs are low on production values but make up for it with great music and spectacular lyrics. I am a big Fred Eaglesmith and, frankly, I could've been fooled into believing this was a "lost now found" Fred cd.

Well worth owning.

This album is almost as good as Chris' first self-titled CD. You all just don't know what you're missing.

Chris Knight's "The Trailer Tapes" have been released on his Drifter's Church label. Recorded in 1996, this is a stark recording of man and guitar. The absence of a band lays the songs bare, beautiful for their simplicity & Knight's unadorned sincerity. "My Only Prayer" that concludes the set is a lovely diamond, "I'm a country boy; I'm out of place, turned city bum; A good day to me is getting by. I walk the city mile without ever seeing the sun; There's no need to reach the stars when you can't see the sky." The opener "Backwater Blues" is also a treasure with Knight's plaintive vocals, "Put up your bags & get away from the door; Put up that rusty pistol, baby, I ain't mad anymore; If you leave me now & head for higher ground, baby this river of blue black water's going to take me down." "Something Changed" appeared on Chris' breathtaking 1998 self-titled debut CD on Decca Records Chris Knight, "She believed in blue skies; I only brought her rain; It ain't so strange that something changed." Also from the same album, we hear this acoustic version of "House and 90 Acres" that laments the bank foreclosing on family farms, "I've got a house & 90 acres, some cattle in the barn, 2 kids with no mama, she left in a salesman's arms, a sign by the mailbox says there's an auction in the yard, Born & raised has been damned easy, but lately living's hard." The song shines in this acoustic version. "If I Were You" that appeared on Chris' CD A Pretty Good Guy also shines in this acoustic version, "If I were you, I wouldn't be out on these streets the whole night through; Yeah, I'd have a job & a pretty wife that I could come home to, but I don't. I have 20 cents left to my name & you're the only one left here that I have to blame." Other songs like "Spike Drivin' Blues" and "Move On" are gratefully seeing the light of day. These first recordings of Chris Knight are exquisitely beautiful. Bravo!

Ok...maybe a bit of a cynical title, but hey, its true. This is a bare-bones, acoustic, from the heart album, and that is part of its greatness. Chris Knight is a songwriter's songwriter. He brings to life characters that many of us can directly relate to, and presents them in an honest light. It is a true shame that Knight isn't more well known. Big & Rich he is not......and that is a very good thing. This guy seems to write from the heart, not just for the bucks, although I'm sure he would like it, and in reality, should be bringing them in. If you are a Chris Knight fan and don't own this....what are you thinking? If you are wondering about Chris Knight, this CD is as good a place as any to start. If you want a "better produced" CD, with a full band, maybe look to his others to start with. To me, this is Chris at his best. All of his CD's are great, IMO, so you can't go wrong with any of them.

I like just about all of Chris Knight's work. My wife and I saw him live one night in a small bar in a small town in Illinois doing a one man show. It was a lot like lisenting to this CD. Good stuff!