Have you listened yet to Cody Canada & The Departed's new CD "This Is Indian Land"? This is, for me, one of the most exciting Oklahoma-based CDs to come out in a long time. It's a fine tribute to some of the best songwriters Oklahoma has produced. I've been playing Oklahoma music on my radio show "Folk Salad" for going on 12 years, now, so most of these songs are old familiar friends to me.

This is a great record! Canada and the boys have triumphed on every level. The songs themselves are first-class songwriting that stand up to anything out there. The performances are also first rate. This band really rocks, in every sense.

I am usually skeptical of any release that is touted as a "tribute". So often, that's just a cheap way for inferior artists to get a legend's name on the cover of their cd (some of the "tributes" to Johnny Cash come to mind). The question always comes to mind: why should I listen to these versions of these songs when I can listen to the originals. Often, there is no reason. But, these guys really nail it. They're good enough musicians to make the songs their own without trying too hard.

What are your thoughts?