Review by Lucky Boyd: Wade Bowen’s writing has always been solid, and his performances are crowd-pleasing and energetic. It’s exciting to watch, or listen to, the progress of this young Texan as his career continues to grow. With his band, West 84, Bowen offered his debut in 2000 with “JUST FOR FUN” and it was largely a fun disc, recorded for the fans with little attention paid to formulas or the whims of some record label suit. If nothing else, this is a nostalgic look at Bowen and how things were. Personally, I think the performances are genuine and a testament to the talent of this group. Bowen offers his sophomore release, “…TRY NOT TO LISTEN” in 2002 and it is a coming-of-age for Wade and the band. Alex Lipsitz produces again, showing maturity as well. This disc captures the energy of Bowen’s lyrics and melodies, and is the perfect disc for listening on the way to a show. It will get you fired up and ready for the Wade Bowen and West 84 experience. Texas radio had a small love affair with this disc, but fans had a deeper affinity as Bowen played to packed venues moving mountains of product to his faithful following. Now comes the pinnacle-to-date of Bowen’s releases, “THE BLUE LIGHT: LIVE” recorded, you guessed it, live at The Blue Light. Wade Bowen is an excellent performer, and it was evident that no disc could ever capture the true essence of a WBW84 show unless it was recorded live. Well, here it is! There’s no way you can call yourself a true Texas music fan without this disc in your library. Not only is the disc a fabulous release, but a brilliant career move as well. The next studio CD will be a chart-topper. Lipsitz is back as producer along with J.R. Rodriquez, and they have done well. Bowen would do good to keep this team together, or as Grandma used to say, “Dance with who brung ya.” This is by far the best live CD I’ve heard in at least two years. A definite candidate for album of the year, but you’ll never know unless you hear it, and we’ve got it right here, right now, for the lowest price anywhere!