Here Come the Derailers
Vocalist Tony Villanueva and guitarist Brian Hofeldt hail from Oregon, made their musical mark playing the Bakersfield sound in Austin, and withHere Come the Derailersset their sights on Nashville. Music City ace Kyle Lehning replaces roots-rock vetDave Alvinin the producer's chair, yielding a sound with a little less spit and a little more polish than previous Derailers records. Fully half the disc's dozen tracks are drawn from other pens, including country hit-maker Kostas's "More of Your Love" and threeJim Lauderdalecuts that don't quite meet his usual standard of excellence. The Derailers fare better when speaking for themselves--"Bar Exam" and "There Goes the Bride" are fun novelty numbers, and Hofeldt's "I See My Baby" is a satisfying excursion into classic pop--and even when they shut their mouths entirely, as on the instrumental "Country A Go-Go," a dandy guitar duel.--Anders Smith Lindall