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Since the passing of fellow founding band member Gene Eugene in March of 2000, the Lost Dogs have put out more CDs than when he was with them.This year, with their new release, they have created a disc that is their best in the post Gene Eugene era.  Terry Taylor, Michael Roe, and Derri Daugherty, along with Steve Hindalong, have pooled their talents for eleven quality songs that make up The Lost Cabin and the Mystery Trees.

Taylor, as in previous Lost Dogs releases, handled the bulk of the songwriting.  The disc has a distinct American/Country like feel to it,
with tunes like "Devil's Elbow" and "Get Me Ready" handling the rockier aspects of the genre.  "The Lost Cabin and the Mystery Trees" and "This Business is Going Down" are examples of Taylor's gift for writing from the characters' point of view in his songs.  "Only One Bum in Corona Del Mar" is clearly the fun song, chronicling the amusing story of an odd man who seemed to love troubling the residents of his town.  With "Hardening My Heart," Roe's vocals and Taylor's lyrics blend perfectly to express the disappointments of a long difficult life.

Fans who have been clamoring for a few more songs written by band members not named Terry Taylor have a proverbial bone thrown to them
three times.  Daugherty and Hindalong penned two songs.  The first, "Whispering Memories," is a sad song of deep heartbreak beautifully
communicated through Daugherty's trademark soothing vocals.  The second is the charming "Burn It up," a song about the band's love and joy
experienced in working with each other to bring the people their songs.   Roe's "One More Day," which he also sings, is a sweet expression of a man's offering of himself to God despite the many things in life that could have caused him to do otherwise.

The highlight of this record is the closer, "That's Where Jesus Is." Early Lost Dogs releases had anthem like songs, such as "Pray Where You
Are," "Breathe Deep" and "Reasonable Service," and this song fits in well with those.  Taylor powerfully expresses the idea of Jesus hanging
out with those folks that are mired in the darker places of this world, as opposed to being overly concerned with the well to do people.  The
chorus sums the song up well:

That's Jesus in the homeless faces
With the junkies in their livin' hell
That's Jesus with the drunks and in
The lonely places
The rest homes and prison cells

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David J. Cervantes
5 Tocks