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Texas Tornado is the second solo album by Doug Sahm, released by Atlantic Records in December 1973. Sahm co-produced the album with Jerry Wexler and Arif Mardin. Wexler signed Sahm to Atlantic records after the opening of the label's country music division.

Texas Tornado
Studio album by Doug Sahm
Released	December 1973
Recorded	October 1972
Studio	Atlantic Studios Wally Heider Studios
Genre	rock and roll, tejano, blues, jazz
Length	37:55
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Doug Sahm, Jerry Wexler, Arif Mardin
Doug Sahm chronology
Doug Sahm and Band (1973) Texas Tornado (1973) Groover's Paradise (1974)

Sahm recorded with Atlantic during October 1972. Texas Tornado was constituted by the leftover tracks of his debut album, Doug Sahm and Band. Sahm's second album was favored by the critics.

Background

Interested in the development of alternative country, Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler started a Country & Western division in the label in 1972.[1] Wexler signed Doug Sahm among his acts.[2] Sahm recorded material for the label during October 1972 and his debut solo album, Doug Sahm and Band, was released in 1973.[3] Following his move to Austin, Texas Sahm released the leftover material of his Atlantic sessions as Texas Tornado.[4] The album was credited to the "Sir Douglas Band" and produced by Sahm, Wexler and Arif Mardin.[5]

Release and reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The Kansas City Star	Favorable
Detroit Free Press	Favorable
The Cincinnati Enquirer	Favorable
Austin American-Statesman	Favorable
Robert Christgau	B+
AllMusic

Texas Tornado was released in December 1973.[6] The Kansas City Star delivered a favorable review that stated on the album Sahm "proves just how good a writer, composer and vocalist ... [he] is."[7] Critic Bob Talbert of the Detroit Free Press favored the album, and commented on the variety of musical genres and Sahm's "taste of every musical style."[8] Meanwhile, The Cincinnati Enquirer also remarked the mixture of styles and Sahm's voice changing from "the twangy nasal country sound to the mellow crooning style".[9] the Austin American-Statesman considered the album "more consistent overall" in comparison to Sahm's debut release with the label.[10]

Critic Robert Christgau gave the album a B+, and he compared it with previous Sahm releases: "the singing especially has the kind of force and definition he's always rendered irrelevant in the past".[11] AllMusic gave the album four-and-a-half stars out of five. Stephen Thomas Erlewine determined that the album "captures (Sahm) at an undeniable peak and it's undeniably irresistible."[12]

Track listing

Personnel

References

Sources

• Atlantic staff (1973). Texas Tornado (LP). Atlantic Records. SD 7287.
• Billboard staff (January 13, 1973). "The Doug Sahm Sessions". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 85 (2). ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
• Butler, Robert (February 17, 1974). "Doug Sahm's Texas Tornado Has Something for Everyone". The Kansas City Star. Vol. 94, no. 153. Retrieved March 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
• Christgau, Robert (1973). "The Sir Douglas Band". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
• Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2010). "The Sir Douglas Band - Texas Tornados". AllMusic. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
• Gracey, Joe (December 15, 1973). "Only Few to See Dylan's Concert". Austin American-Statesman. Vol. 49, no. 112. Retrieved March 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
• Harrod, Bob (January 27, 1974). "Bobby Bare's Album Just Great Listening". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Vol. 133, no. 289. Retrieved March 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
• Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Country Music. Virgin. ISBN 978-0-7535-0236-5.
• Lindsay, Sally (December 15, 1973). "Youth Beat". Pottsville Republican. Vol. 177, no. 41. Retrieved March 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
• Magnet staff (September 24, 2002). "Doug Sahm: A Lone Star State of Mind". Magnet. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
• Reid, Jan; Sahm, Shawn (2010). Texas Tornado: The Times and Music of Doug Sahm. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-77439-1.
• Talbert, Bob (January 13, 1974). "The New Records". Detroit Free Press. Vol. 143, no. 254. Retrieved March 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

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