Mojo Box
Chapel Hill's second most famous rock band, Southern Culture on the Skids has finally transcended their kitschy novelty act trappings on their seventh album,The Mojo Box,and created an album worthy of their considerable talents. Without sacrificing any of their overwrought manic energy, or cunning twists on white trash culture, Rick Miller, Mary Huff, and Dave Hartman have created a swampy masterpiece, that is equal partsGrateful Dead,the Cramps, andCredence Clearwater Revival, bathed in barbecue sauce, irony, and some gloriously garagey guitar lines that conjure up images of a young Keith Richards. Produced by Miller at his rural North Carolina home studio,Mojo Boxis the sound of a band proud of their Southern roots, but no longer exploiting them as if they were a fourth member in the band. Instead, Southern Culture on the Skids uses a newfound restraint that elevates a country ballad like "Where Is the Moon," to a near classic that evenEmmylou Harriswould long to sing, and makes the creeping dread of the title track something you wouldn't want to listen to with the lights off.--Jaan Uhelszki