Wolf Loescher, a native Texan who now calls Colorado home, celebrates the people who pick up and go places with his latest album, Immigrant Songs. As he explains in the liner, "You don't have to cross an ocean to be an immigrant ... sometimes all you have to do is move from one part of the country to another."

Loescher has a warm, mellow vocal style, and he uses it to good effect here to tell his stories. Here, he draws his music from varied sources, so look for tracks including the lively opener, "Dance Called America" by Roray and Calum Macdonald, along with Steve Earle's "City of Immigrants," Paul Simon's "American Tune," Ed Miller's "At Home with the Exiles," Dan Fogelberg's "Sutter's Mill," Pat Byrne's "Hills of Killedmond" and Brian May's "'39."

Loescher sings and plays Irish bouzouki, tenor guitar, baritone ukulele, drums and percussion. Joining him on the album are Rich Brotherton on electric and acoustic guitars, bass and harmony vocals, Scooter Muse on acoustic guitar and banjo, Beth Patterson on bass guitar and harmony vocals, Frances Cunningham on mandolin and harmony vocals, Kendall Rogers on accordion and piano, Tim Britton on uilleann pipes and whistle, Mari Black on fiddle, Brian McNeill on fiddle, concertina and lead vocals on "The Rovin' Dies Hard" (McNeill's composition), EJ Jones on Highland pipes, and Leah Rankin on cello.

I have always enjoyed Loescher's singing in the various projects he's led and worked with over the years, but I admit I got a bit of a chill when McNeill joined him on "Rovin'." I've been a fan of McNeill's for decades, and his voice is never unwelcome.

But, even without that bonus, this is a good album. It has heart, it shares a love for homes both new and old, and there isn't a wasted track among the dozen songs on offer.

[ visit Wolf Loescher's website ]