Thunderstorms & Neon Signs
Playing the too-country for commercial radio side of the field, Wayne Hancock makes some of the loneliest Hank Williams-styled C&W; since, well, since ol' Hank himself. Moving easily from  hillbilly bop ("Double A Daddy") to dancehall honky tonk ("Juke Joint Jumpin'"), Hancock has the old-school twang down cold. He succeeds most, though, when he takes that old sound and fits it into his own modern life, as he does on the exquisitely drawn title track, where he  details why pulling off to a motel whenever the highway weather gets bad makes his heart swell with fond memories.--David Cantwell