Gentleman'S Blues
Beware the cry of critics everywhere: Cracker have run out of material. But hold on, not so fast. On the fourth recording from this eclectic roots-pop quartet, frontman David Lowery may indeed address the topic of success, celebrity, and the life of a rock band (i.e.,hislife), but that's hardly saying he's at a loss for originality. With characteristic irony, these 16 songs sprawl across a landscape of misbegotten fame, lost love, even religious faith. The opener, "The Good Life," is vintage Cracker, replete with throbbing percussion and frontier twang. From there,Gentleman's Bluesundulates its way through the retro-Americana reminiscence "Been Around the World" and thrusts guitarist John Hickman on the mic for the bluegrassy "Trials and Tribulations" before finally settling into the irresistibly tender strains of the title track. That kind of Cracker soul will never grow old.--Nick Heil