Tales from the Trail is the third album from the Prairie Rose Rangers. The repertoire of the Rangers encompasses many aspects of Western Music; from traditional cowboy trail songs to the songs of the silver screen cowboys to modern ballads, with a little Western Swing thrown in to round it all out. Check out the Rangers’ version of the oft-recorded “Riders in the Sky,” this time featuring a rare, female lead vocal performance by Kim Coslett. Kim also puts her own spin on the 19th century “Cowboy’s Lament,” best known as the “Streets of Laredo.”

The tasteful fiddling of Jolynn MacIntyre belies the fact that the Prairie Rose Rangers is her first band. Listen to her fiddle licks on “Along the Santa Fe Trail” or on her own version of the classic “Colorado Trail.”

Jesse Friesen, though in his early 20s, shows his love for the classic western songs of the Sons of the Pioneers on “One More Ride,” as well as his appreciation for current cowboy music as shown with Richard Elloyan’s “Letter to Ramona.” Jesse not only produced and engineered the album, he also played all of the guitar and banjo tracks, along with a number of the mandolin and bass tracks.

Bandleader Orin Friesen plays bass and sings harmony. Special thanks to Stan Greer and Kris Johnson for their contributions to the album.