Neil Michael Hagerty

If you don’t know that Neil Hagerty used to be in Pussy Galore and Royal Trux, then you’d better bloody well get with it. Plays… is Neil’s second official solo album and it possesses the characteristically playful (read: fuck around) charm of his past work while adding the odd new twist. Bluesy rock laced with insane guitar solos, laid-back vocals and great song titles like "Shaved Cunt" all add up for a strangely roots-y yet sophisticated listen. The classy new-found use of strings provides a nice juxtaposition to all the amazing yet atonal guitar work going on in songs like "Sayonara." The country-fied gospel number "Gratitude" drives home a Christian theme that crops up throughout the record, as is evident on "Oklahoma Township." On this album, Hagerty captures the sound of the Stones abandoned in rural America then brainwashed with free jazz and way more drugs than they’re even used to. The real triumph is that through all of this he still manages to come off like a perfectly calm and likeable fellow.