Lucero are not to be confused with the Mexican actress and "singing sensation" of the same name.
This band from Memphis have been together since 1998. This is their ninth album and is described as being "more upbeat than some of our older stuff".
Their "fully realized musical extravaganza" combines the swagger of country-soul with the strut of old school rock drawing on familiar models from the likes of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones and Delaney & Bonnie.
The band's leader is singer-guitarist Ben Nichols whose rasping voice is part Jeff Tweedy and part Steve Earle.
They flesh out the classic rock sound with pedal steel guitar, boogie-woogie piano, a two-piece horn section and even a gospel choir on the closing track (Go Easy).
The fact that who they are now appears to amalgamate everything they were in the past makes me feel better about not having heard any their previous eight releases!
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Lyrically its no great shakes. Sometimes for example has back of the envelope lines like "Sometimes it's quiet in the middle of the night, sometimes it's lonely, sometimes it's alright" and the demand for "one shot of women - one shot of work" on the title track is about as deep as it gets.
While it's tempting to call it punk rock for rednecks, the fact that none of the songs set out to put the world to rights militates against this.
It's only rock'n'roll but I kinda like it.
Lucero's website
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