Hayes Carll

Judging by his last couple of albums, Hayes Carll would make the ideal drinking buddy; a guy whose combined wit and soul increases exponentially with each round. KMAG YOYO ("kiss my ass guys, you're on your own" in military slang) is the sound of Carll at closing time. Unlike his excellent but more measured previous album Trouble In Mind, the ragged-but-right tone is established from the first notes of the mid-'60s Dylanesque rave-up "Stomp And Holler," and continues through the sly honky tonk confessionals "Hard Out Here" and "The Letter." Carll's supporting cast is spot-on as well; the appearance of Corb Lund and Todd Snider on "Bottle In My Hand" shows that with the right fourth member, a new version of the Highwaymen could easily hit the road. But perhaps the album's best moments are saved for "Another Like You," a duet with Cary Ann Hearst, featuring some priceless one-night stand repartee. Carll seems to be able to summon up such great material at will, and by now he has to be considered the voice of a new generation of good ol' boys.