If you tend to judge an album by its cover then you'll probably never get to hear Mike McClure's sixth album. The amateurish drawing of a cowgirl bent over a gigantic onion is crude in both senses of the word and seriously off putting.
But if you pass it up, you'll miss an adrenalin rush of fired up country rock that shows why McClure is feted as a key figure of Oklahoma's Red Dirt scene.
This sub-genre takes its name from the colour of the earth in this state and the no holds barred style has something in common with Steve Earle in rocker mode. McClure doesn't wear his political colours on his sleeve like Earle, but he shares his fellow Texan's energy and punchy vocal style. The connection is sealed by co-producer, Joe Hardy who has worked with Earle as well as with bands like ZZ Top and The Replacements.
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The eleven tracks here are virtually all full throttle numbers, taking cues from Punk dynamics as much as Country-Blues. McClure eases his foot off the gas for just a handful of tunes, notably 'Warm Inside' , where our hero is stuck indoors with his TV set and memories while the sky outside is heavy with snow.
This is macho-rock, for sure, which I guess explains the gruesome sleeve, but even recontructed males and sassy girls will find this one hard to resist.
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