These guys from Minnesota don't look old enough, but apparently they've been on the go since 1997; must have started young I think. On this album from 2004 they bring us fourteen songs of countrified rock (or rocking country - not sure of the difference really) that fairly drives along a lot of the time courtesy of some fairly frenetic drumming from Brian Sampson.
What sets them apart though is brother Brandon Sampson's soulful singing. He knows how to sound like he's always got time in hand, and he gets a lot of feeling into his voice; this is best shown on "Andy": Brandon's Springsteen-ish harmonica playing gets an airing, but his voice, full of weary scepticism about the life of a wannabe rock-star, is the real star, quite arrestingly expressive.
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The songs cover relationships and all that stuff, but also delve into larger issues, too. There's a fine variety of pace, rocking out on some numbers and mellowing out on others; they sound like a band that play a fair number of bars and know how to mix the numbers up to keep the mood right and the punters happy. Nothing too flash, too introspective or too pleased with itself, just four guys who know how to keep themselves and a barful of people happy on a Saturday night, and that's a fine thing.
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