Waco Brothers & Paul Burch

This collaboration between Nashville veteran Burch and Jon Langford's wild Windy City bunch has been long overdue, given how each has long been waging a war to wrestle country music back from the suburbs. It's no surprise, then, that in combining forces, the results are joyously ragged, somewhere between a boozy jam session and a good night on Bob Dylan's Never-Ending Tour. In fact, it's a rollicking version of Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" that sets the tone, leading into the Bo Diddley-meets-Buddy Holly stomp of "Cannonball" and the Sir Douglas Quintet homage, "Monterey." The overall free and easiness of Great Chicago Fire is certainly charming, reflecting Burch's voice. While not a classic country singer by any stretch, just as the Wacos aren't a classic country band, Burch makes up for his shortcomings with loads of conviction on other standout tracks, such as "Transfusion Blues" and "On the Sly." This isn't earth shattering, but is irresistible for fans of pure twang nonetheless.