This month’s Spotlight is a high-octane country track chock full of great tones and performances. The composition and arrangements here are also top-notch. The “spaghetti western” intro totally fooled us into thinking that “How The West Was Won” would be a slow, ambient track. Au Contraire friends! Things switch on a dime to a thumping kick drum/ killer roadhouse electric guitar vibe, and we were off. We love the snappy “train beat” snare drum pattern that was quickly established along with the hand-in-glove kick drum and bass. The electric guitars sound absolutely fabulous, and Randy possesses some serious chops! The tones from the Fender/Line 6 POD 2.0 signal chain are tasty as a ribeye at a roadhouse saloon. Their deft panning provided a lot of space in the stereo field, making ample room for the additional tasty guitar fills along with the tight harmonies positioned closer to the center of the mix. We dug the creative breakdown at the 1:46 mark, some serious guitar/bass ear candy going on there! We also have to acknowledge the great job Ned did on the vocals delivered through a tried and true Shure Beta 58 dynamic mic. The slight delay on the voice gave it a cool Bakersfield slap-back vibe. Lastly, congrats to all for the uncluttered yet solid final mix. Everything has its place, and yet the track has heft and impact. Well done!