Hugs and Misses by Stephen Hug “Platinum” by Dean Miller (Koch)—This is a fun country record by the son of the late great Roger Miller (“Dang Me,” “King of the Road”). Although the sound is upbeat, Dean’s got an edge too. His song “Music Executive” is one of the nastier critiques of record honchos you’ll find, sneering at their (alleged) lack of backbone, musical knowledge and integrity. Whew! He writes most of the songs on the CD, which he produced, but covers Fred Eaglesmith’s “105” and his dad’s “I’ve Been A Long Time Leaving,” which features what might be called “country scat” for which Roger Miller was famous. This is a keeper for alt.country AND mainstream country fans. 4 bottle caps, the highest rating. Dang me, you did a helluva job, Dean! You gonna tour the Northeast soon? “Listen to the Music” by 3 Fox Drive (KochNashville)—Yes, the title track is the Doobie Brothers tune, which 3 Fox Drive adapts smoothly to the bluegrass format. This isn’t one of those damn “wink wink ain’t it cool we covered this pop tune” bluegrass renditions (Listen to Danny Barnes’ atrocious version of the Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” and you’ll know what I mean). The songwriting is thoughtful and tuneful and could stand on its own without being wrapped in a bluegrass package. 4 bottle caps, the highest rating. Classy!! You don’t have to like bluegrass to enjoy this one. “Chaos and Creation in the Back Yard” by Paul McCartney (Capitol)—Paul qualifies to be reviewed on an Americana website because, as everyone knows, the Beatles’ influence on all forms of popular music has been massive. That said, how’s Paul doing? First, if you hate his solo recordings (except for “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Another Day,” and a few others), forget all that and remember this is the guy who wrote (with little or no help from “Saint” John Lennon) and sang “Hey Jude,” “Yesterday” and “Blackbird” and, of course, many others. Okay, now here we go! No more being nasty to Mr. McCartney! All is forgotten and maybe even forgiven. On to this new one! “Chaos and Creation in the Back Yard” was produced by Nigel Godrich (Beck, Radiohead) who supposedly kicked Paul’s royal ass so he wouldn’t churn out more crap. It worked. The songs aren’t silly—but neither are they memorable. Still, there are nice moments, like “Jenny Wren,” obviously derived from “Blackbird” and the opening track “Fine Line” where Paul rocks and gets (almost) down and nasty! 3 bottle caps for you, Sir Paul. You’re heading in a positive direction. How about a collaboration with Keith Richards?
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