Blue Dogs

The third LP from this Charleston, SC quartet is a solid mix of Americana and indie/alternative rock. “Brand New Face” and “Bitter End” are strong, rootsy, pop while “What I Want” adds a little Memphis soul to the mix. “Cousin Homer’s Anything Goes Dance Hall” adds a fiddle to the Band-like chorus while evoking both Blue Mountain and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The back porch acoustic and slide blues that anchor “Pay the Man” give the proceedings an organic edge. “Carry Your Heart” is a bit too lush and overproduced — a tad too radio friendly, though it’s infinitely better than the majority of radio crap. Cracker man David Lowery is in the producer’s chair and I dunno if it’s his fault or not since the rest of the disc has a pleasingly refreshing edge to it. “Carolina Heartache” is easily the twangiest track, having a slight Crazy Horse rudeness to it. It’s hardly a seminal alt.country record, but it’s still solid and consistent and enjoyable from start to finish.