I'm a lifelong Casey Donahew fan just like the rest of 'em. Hell, he's my favorite artist. But I didn't expect too much out of a spur of the moment, livestream acoustic album released during the middle of a global pandemic. But Lost My Brother's Goat is Casey Donahew at his purest: a guitar, a fiddle, some alcohol, and a few cowboy songs.
The album is a short nine tracks, two of which were previously recorded: Southern Girl and Breaks My Heart. To be honest I could have gone without these. Southern Girl has never been one of my favorites, and Melinda's backup vocals on Breaks My Heart didn't quite do it for me.
But the rest of the album is very strong. It's got a mix of everything you might want with a few love songs, lots of leaving songs, an outlaw song, and a beer drinkin' song. Outlaw Friends stands out to me because of the vivid story it tells about an outlaw who just won't give up even after bing sentenced to death. The fiddle chords and Casey's gruff voice make you feel like you're there in the train with him.
Another standout track is I'm Not This Guy That You Know, which reminds me a lot of Bad Guy. It's a somber song about a guy who's fully aware of his shortcomings, and pushes the girl away to save her the hurt. I was hooked until the last verse, where there was almost a twist ending.
While the title of the album is funny, it's based on a true story. One night Casey called up another artist to sing a song they wrote together, but the other artist was so drunk he couldn't remember the words. Right in the middle of it, he yells to Casey, "I lost it brother, go!" which was misconstrued as "I lost my brother's goat!" It's been a joke in the band ever since, and they even made a t-shirt.
Overall I definitely enjoyed this album and recommend that you give it a listen. It's relatively short, and if you've been watching his livestreams you know what you're in for. Six of the songs made it onto the official Daily Texas Country playlist. If you've heard the album, let us know what you think on Twitter!