Recent Release:Hayes Carll-KMAG YOYO

(Sorry for all the excess stuff at the beginning and end, it was the clearest version I could find).

If the country music establishment didn't suck and programmers had any brains, then more people would know about Hayes Carll, and he'd be the biggest name in country music. But that's not how things work, so if you don't know let me clue you in.

Hayes Carll's new album, KMAG YOYO (military code for "Kiss My Ass Guys, You're On Your Own") is one of the best alt-country albums you're likely to hear this year. The title track is a view of Afghanistan by a teenage soldier set to a rockin' swamp beat (see above). It's a great song, and it's one of my least favorites on the record.

The album opens with "Stomp And Holler", a working class, party time anthem. Multiple styles are represented here from rock to hillbilly country, bluesy folk and beyond. All styles are played with respect and handled brilliantly. Carll has put together a crack band that can make you want to dance and then turn on a dime and make you cry into your beer.

Okay, so how are the lyrics? Spot on, thank you very much. Carll discusses his life spent with too much time on the road and in too many seedy bars, but also goes bigger than that. Relationships of all kinds are discussed, from familial in "Thank God For Christmas", to the desperate ("Hide Me" and "Chances Are"). And how often do you hear a hobo song these days? Try "Bottle In My Hand" for a glimpse into the life of a modern wanderer.

Perhaps the best song on the record (and if not best then certainly favorite) is called "Another Like You". It is a duet performed perfectly by Hayes and Cary Ann Hearst. The music is classic country, but the lyrics are a decidedly modern look at the possibilities of two people from opposite sides of the fence who just may find themselves together. This tale of bi-partisan lust is not quite as funny as his classic "She Left Me For Jesus" from Carll's last record "Trouble In Mind", but it's a lot more accessible and still good fun.

So, great songs and great performances. The pacing is a little sleepy in the second half, but the individual songs are solid. I can't recommend this enough.

4 and 1/2 out of 5 Daves