Big Wheel
For their third album, these Nashville boys expand their boogie-blues/rock roots. "Julie's Song" playfully sports a poppy Beatlesque touch, while "Dragon Park" hints at jazz. But no matter where these guys stretch their wings creatively, they always return home to the South. Take "Groove Me," for example, where pummeling, almost heavy metal rhythm head-butts with smooth '60s soul. Or the ballad "It Ain't Nothin'," which is pure class with a country twang. Singer Mike Farris may put his trust in the Lord, as evidenced by the introspective "Standing in the Sun," but he also proudly struts his stuff on "Boogie King" and investigates the dark side on the tortured "More Than I Can Take."Big Wheelhas many facets, all of them fascinating.--Janiss Garza