Joe Ely's self-titled (and currently out-of-print) 1977 solo debut, imbued with his stark, West Texas flatlands milieu, hit many like a Southwest tornado. Since then, Joe Ely has become an admired cult figure who epitomized alt country and Americana years before those terms existed. Each decade, he's been captured onstage, beginning with 1980's Live Shots and 1990's Live at Liberty Lunch, making 2000 the right time for number three. These muscular performances, recorded at Austin's famous roots-music club, show Ely's dauntless energy undiminished by time. Roaring performances of "Me and Billy the Kid," "Everybody Got Hammered," "All Just to Get to You," and his ebullient, gender-bent satire "Nacho Mama" make these old favorites seem new and fresh. Jimmie Dale Gilmore's "Dallas" revisits Ely's days in the Flatlanders with Gilmore and Butch Hancock, and his comparable good taste extends to his masterful interpretations of Tom Russell's cockfight epic "Gallo del Cielo" and Robert Earl Keen's "The Road Goes On Forever." Few artists with similar mileage can maintain their edge in the studio, much less onstage. It's no surprise Ely is one of that select group. --Rich Kienzle
