USA TODAY music critic Brian Mansfield highlights 10 exceptional tracks for discerning downloaders...
"Pocket of Red" – "Co-writer Kim Richey's harmony lends an exquisite touch to this Texas singer/songwriter's melancholy rocker."
USA TODAY

"Bucket overflows with roots-rock energy tempered by pop melodies."
Dallas Morning News

"Opener "Wrong Guy" sets the stage for a disc full of tracks big enough to warrant climbing in and exploring, notably "Pocket of Red," "Pittsburgh," "Come Out Tonight" and "Candy Red," while "Seven Dollars" manages to capture the bittersweet nature of spending a night in a bar while simultaneously becoming a top contender for Least Gritty Song About Drinking. Bucket maximizes Saenz's gifts, and presents him in a way that gives him his best shot yet at mass appeal."
Houston Press

"Mando Saenz has made an album soaked in the creative freedom and compositional savvy that accompanied the Hotel Californian singer/songwriters of the 1970s... It’s rootsy music that is commercial without trying, filled with songs that are by turn deeply metaphorical and openly emotional, vivid snapshots of an old soul traveling in a new world."
Winston Salem Journal

"The records sounds mild until you listen closely. "Pocket of Red," written with Kim Richey rocks like glam Americana, and "In The Back of Your Mind" features a spiffy guitar break that suggests Tom Petty imitating Roger McGuinn. It’s a sharp record..."
Nashville Scene

"He’s likely to get used to more attention with the release of Bucket, which builds beautifully on the world-weary blueprint set by Watertown. It’s a casual, confident record and offers a careful balance of quirky Americana fare and more mainstream rock strains."
Houston Chronicle

"Inventively produced by R.S. Field, with captivating songs of both the self-penned and collaborative kind (with Kim Richey and Will Kimbrough, notably) plus inspired musical support from redoubtable musicians on the order of guitarists Kenny Vaughn and Richard Bennett, among others, Mexico-born and Texas-raised Mando Saenz makes his sophomore album a moment to remember as the true launching point for what should be a significant career."
David McGhee, Barnesandnoble.com

"Mando Saenz is a relative newcomer...but his name will surely soon be synonymous with tasty, lyrical songwriting Texas-style, akin to Townes Van Zandt and Lyle Lovett. Bucket is a compelling calling card that tenders eleven instantly likable original songs."
Sean Hickey, Journal Register Group

"Bucket, rocks more than Saenz's Watertown and is an excellent sophomore outing. Saenz is the kind of writer who can capture life and make it rhyme."
San Antonio Express News

"Throughout Bucket, key players add deft touches to layer in the warmth of the disc's sweet, stinging melodies...but Bucket is Mando Saenz's show, and he delivers with heart rendering honesty 11 solid tracks to challenge the ears, and move the soul."
An Honest Tune

"Mando Saenz has a bevy of musicians around him, but perhaps the reason for that is how inviting and strong a good portion of the material that he brings to this record is. Roots-saturated and with ample heaps of Americana sprinkled throughout...."
All Music Guide