3 out of 5

Label: BMG

Producer: David Lowery

‘Countrysides’ sounds like a stripped down epilogue to ‘Forever’ – pretty straight forward tunes, a finger-to-the-man joke (‘Aint’ Gonna Suck Itself’), and a batch of catchy, though fairly generic tunes that give Lowery a chance to indulge in some chuckles but, overall, nothing absolutely grabbing or rollicking.  There might be a bit more beneath the hood on this occasion, though: that joke is very much aimed at Virgin Records, from whom we’ll note Cracker has been liberated, and ‘Countrysides’ is, besides that track, all covers.  The fact that the album sounds absolutely like a Cracker album is testament to Lowery’s comfort as a songwriter and the rapport he’s built with his players – especially longtime guitarist Johnny Hickman, whose brief blasts of concise playing is perfectly spliced into tracks like ‘Family Tradition’ and ‘Bottle Let Me Down,’ giving them some muscle and, perhaps, bringing forth elements that would be clear to fans of the song – such as Lowery and his mates – but not to new listeners, or people who wouldn’t normally be picking up a Merle Haggard disc.

But what’s nice about ‘Countrysides’ is that it reintroduces a strong current of cynical charm that had gone astray since even ‘Golden Age.’  While the disc lacks standout tracks or moments that have appeared on every Lowery release, it works together as an album without effort; this is the band seemingly truly enjoying their music again, and you can feel it.  This allows a track like ‘Sinalola Cowboys’ to come across perfectly – with that slightly sad smile that’s made for some great moments on classic CVB stuff or that’s been spotted over the Cracker discs.

It’s short, at 9 tracks, and there’s no particular anthem you feel like blasting out your windows, but ‘Countrysides’ gives off the appreciable vibe the cover suggests – kicking back at a bar, playing pool, some old favorites playing on the jukebox.  And you’re singing along or tapping your toe without even realizing it.