Top 5: Best Jason Boland & The Stragglers Of-All-Time

Jason Boland & The Stragglers are one of the Red Dirt scene's most popular, successful, and defining acts.

What's our measuring stick for their greatness? Boland has never changed his style, his delivery, not even the central theme of his music -- yet for nearly two decades it's always been good. More often than not it's been great.

At a time before it was known outside raucous pockets around Oklahoma; these guys alongside Stoney LaRue, and Cross Canadian Ragweed didn't redefine "Red Dirt;" they unknowingly willed it into existence. They required the masses take notice, they shone a bright too light to be ignored upon it. They made Webster add it to the music dictionary of our lives.

Here are our Top 5 Jason Boland & The Straggler Songs of-all-time.

5. Comal County Blue

The title track from their 2009 album. There's just no argument -- it is just another in a long line of Boland greatness. He turns 'em out like Nashville turns out crap songs.

4. Dark & Dirty Mile

The title track off his 2013 Shooter Jennings produced album. This is a song that was co-written by Stoney LaRue.

3. Proud Souls

Funny story; The year was 2002. I was a green-behind-the-ears jock, and I would spin this song off of a burnt CD I had gotten from a friend.

On air I called it "Passion and Losing Friends," for two months at least I was announcing the wrong title with enthusiasm every time it came up. I eventually figured out the figured out the correct title. But come on, I couldn't be held up on sharing a song such as this by something as trivial as it's title.

2. Rich, Young, Dumb Nymphomaniac (NSFW)

Between '04 - '06 you couldn't go anywhere in Texas without hearing this song. The rumor was that it recorded during soundcheck before a show, unbeknownst to Boland. The sound guy at the venue they were playing uploaded it to Napster, the rest is history.

Since this list was so tough to compile, and there are so many songs deserving of No.1, why not include a NSFW song with a great story. Boland confirmed the Napster story on our show a couple years ago.

1. Somewhere Down in Texas

The song is so sad; and in the manliest voice you can muster, it's beautiful. Originally off his Pearl Snap album, it's the best example of a song that would make the most hardened Yankee wanna move south to the Lone Star State. Not an easy task for an Okie.