ALBUM REVIEW: Neon Moons Make Their Honky-Tonk Debut With 'Day Late & a Dollar Short'

It is hard to argue with a band of migrant country musicians who hail from both blue and red states. Neon Moons have made their mark in New York’s Hudson Valley with a well-crafted recreation of honky-tonk country music that is distinctly '90s-style. While they owe their name and much of their sound to the seminal country superstars Brooks & Dunn, their debut album Day Late & a Dollar Short doesn’t begin and end with the iconic veteran country duo. The songs may have been recorded in the American East, but this 13-track collection is firmly rooted in the sound born in the barn-stormed dance halls of West Texas. The album shines with well-written songs that clearly draw from the likes of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Dwight Yoakam.

Fronted by Brett Miller — a Missouri transplant shaped by Texas outlaw country sensibilities — the band consists of Dan Stern (drums), Donny Dinero (lead guitar), Quinn Murphy (bass guitar), and Kramer Sanguinetti on the pedal steel. They have formed a band that fully supports Miller’s songwriting through a dynamic, organic exchange that is distinctly honky-tonk.