Mastering work on the subdudes' forthcoming album, "Flower Petals," has been completed, and the finished recording will soon be delivered to the record company. That means promotional copies could be in the hands of radio stations within a month or so.

The CD is slated for official release on 429 Records on Sept. 1. It’s the band’s first studio album in two years. The subdudes will tour widely to support the album.

"Flower Petals," in fact, has something of an Old West flavor. The songs are loosely tied together by a common theme, set at the turn of the century and mostly told from the point of view of a soldier who has passed on. Toward the end of the recordings, the narrator's spirit is finally released to the great beyond.

Interestingly, “Flower Petals” was originally envisioned as the follow-up to “Miracle Mule,” the first post-reunion CD by the band that was released in 2004. By August of 2005 2004, the songs for "Flower Petals" were all written, and rough demo recordings had been made. The band’s label at the time, however, persuaded the band to put the project on the backburner and focus on what the label thought would be more appealing: slicker, more commercial songs.

In conversations through the years, each of the band members, though, has talked about wanting to return to "Flower Petals." Then, last fall, the band embarked on an all-acoustic tour and the guys found themselves returning to the stripped-down sound that harkened back to their earliest days as the subdudes. It was the perfect sound to complement the rootsy, Americana songs of "Flower Petals," so proper studio work on the songs finally got under way earlier this year.

The band performs mostly unplugged on the recordings. Tommy Malone, of course, is prominent on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, with electric guitar on a number of songs; Magnie plays mostly accordion in lieu of organ, and Steve Amedee is featured prominently on mandolin on several songs. Tim Cook and Jimmy Messa again split bass chores, with Tim also helping out on percussion. The compositions are jointly credited to the five subdudes.

Unless the lineup changes - and that’s always possible - there are 14 songs slated for inclusion on the CD: "Flower Petals" [a snippet]; "The Flower and The Fire"; "Standing Water"; "Barley in the Silo"; "The Blacksmith Song"; "False Front"; "Town Square"; "Sho' Look Guilty"; "The Shepherd Will Keep"; "Wedding Rites"; "Redemption Dance"; Flower Petals" [the full version]; "My Soul"; and "Night Shade" [an instrumental].

All of the songs were recorded in John Magnie’s home studio in Fort Collins, Colo.

The album was produced by the subdudes and Ron Albert, Howard Albert and Steve Alaimo.

The songs were mixed in Miami by the Albert Brothers and Steve Alaimo. Ron and Howard Albert are something of legends in the business - probably best known for their work at Criteria Studios in the ‘70s, when they crafted the sound of albums like "Laya and Other Assorted Love Songs" by Eric Clapton [Derek & the Dominos]; Crosby Stills & Nash’s "CSN" album; and the Allman Brothers’ “Idlewild South” and “Eat a Peach” albums. More recently, they’ve worked with artists as diverse as Lil Wayne, Lauryn Hill, Usher, Pink, Method Man and Bone Thugs N’ Harmony.

The band is currently in the process of working on cover art with William Matthews, a Denver artist well-known for his old West-style paintings.