Motorcycle Highway Songs - Music

Wheels represent ratings from 1 to 5 (best).

Flashback Release Of The Month

Darn, what is it about Austin, Texas, that makes it one of America's true music towns? Like Memphis, New Orleans, and Chicago, Austin inherited part of the great blues migration out of the delta. How else to explain Janis Joplin and Stevie Ray Vaughan? So where does James McMurtry fit? He's one part Jimmy Buffett (if Jimmy had continued to make relevant songs about something other than cheeseburgers) and one part Bruce Springsteen (if Bruce was born in Austin rather than New Jersey). Bikers over the age of 21 will find much relevancy in his songs. Yes, there are songs about bars and women. But the lyrics run deeper and more complex than that, and that's the reason his previous albums earned him much respect from critics. It ain't blues, but it is good ol' rock and roll, in the finest singer/songwriter tradition. James also happens to be the son of Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove, Terms of Endearment) and was supposedly heavily influenced by old Johnny Cash and Roy Acuff records. Cool. On this release, he's joined by former Small Faces member Ian McLagan (who's also an excellent session player) and Texas songwriter Jon Dee Graham. There's also a DVD in the package, so you have something to entertain yourself with after you put the bike in the garage.

4 Wheels

Pan, Knuck, Shovel, or Evo? For many, the choice of a classic bike is a difficult one to make, as they all have their good points. Ditto the albums released by the legendary rock band Traffic. They made some great albums: John Barley Corn Must Die, Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, and especially their eponymously entitled second album. In the late '60s, the group, headed by former Spencer Davis Group member Steve Winwood, songwriting partner Jim Capaldi, Dave Mason and Chris Wood made some mighty fine records and helped launch the progressive rock movement, with bands like Yes, King Crimson, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Genesis, and others following. Now, back to the motorcycle question. What if you could borrow the best elements from all the various vintage Harleys and put them together? That's what 2005's Traffic Gold is all about. It's a convenient way to have all of those tracks in one handy place - better than spending time on iTunes downloading individual tracks. And you get all the good stuff - songs like "Dear Mr. Fantasy," "Feelin' Alright," "Forty Thousand Headmen," "Low Spark of High-Heeled boys," "Freedom Rider" and plenty more. Turn up the volume and you'll be in cruising heaven. Personally, I prefer the individual albums because they are a window into where the group's collective head was at-and indeed Traffic tended to be more collaborative and complex than other bands at that time. This album gets high marks because it's all good and it's all here in one handy package, just waiting for you to hit the road.

5 Wheels

Can music improve your riding? Admittedly, smooth jazz is not everyone's cup of tea. Biker Nation tends to live on the harder/faster side of the interstate. But we are nothing, if not a diverse bunch. Najee's Mind Over Matter, while being at the other end of the heavy metal spectrum, has much to offer in terms of aural fulfillment. I road tested it up along Angeles Crest Highway, a local stretch of mountain road that's held in high esteem by the crotch-rocket crowd. I can report that Najee's music makes an excellent soundtrack for carving the twisties. While jazz snobs usually dismiss smooth jazz, there is much to like in this, his 11th studio release. Artists like Kenny G and Dave Koz are OK, but Najee injects a little more soul into his sax playing. Songs like "Stolen Glances" and "One More Thing" make for excellent cruising music and you can almost match the leaning and turning riding motions to the rhythms of the music itself. On a roadhouse jukebox, Najee would be out of place. But on the open road in the mountains with the sun glinting through the trees, his music makes for a pretty cool way to master the curves. Keep the volume loud enough and you'll eventually discover that that bagger does indeed turn!

3 1/2 Wheels

The transition from movie star to rock star can be a clumsy affair for many, but for Juliette Lewis it seems a natural evolution. Remember her as the co-star in Natural Born Killers? It is this same vulnerable damaged freak thing she brings to her group The New Romantiques. Lets hope Juliette can tough out all the negative criticism she's sure to get because Terra Incognita, despite being a bit over the top at times, is actually a really good rock and roll album. And that means it's also a good way to warm up your bike speakers on a cold day (careful with that volume knob for the first few minutes). The group manages to easily resurrect Big Brother & the Holding Company on "Hard Lovin' Woman," with Juliette as the next Janis. She deftly vamps her way through "Fantasy Bar," invoking imagery of Martha Davis, Pat Benatar, and Joan Jett. It's all thoroughly enjoyable, and by the end of listening to the whole album, Juliette seems to have established her own rocker identity. She can sing, she has the swagger, and now we just need to know, can she ride?

4 Wheels