Teddy Morgan and the Pistolas

On his third album, Teddy Morgan has taken swampy rock and blues with a tinge of honky tonk, and without breaking any new ground, has absolutely nailed it. This is raw, gutsy and up front, perfect for crying in your beer or raising a little hell. Morgan’s vocals are a moving mix of gravel and phlegm, soulful in the same way that Steve Earle and Keith Richards are. Morgan’s guitar playing meshes perfectly with his singing; there’s a hard, raw edge and he never showboats, while the band swings and swagger without a whiff of slickness. The slow, swampy “I Ain’t Waitin’ No More” would make John Fogerty drool and “Nothing To Go Back To” is a perfect blend of honky tonk and New Orleans. It takes balls to use a cliché like Lost Love and Highways as a title, but Morgan delivers on the timeless and universal promises of those themes and rocks your ass while doing it.