Fight Songs

Texas troubadours moved farther away from their sound on their 1999 release, , instead incorporating warmly distorted guitars and crunchy rhythms into their brash songs. Thankfully for fans of the band, the terrific songwriting is still there, but the sound is a little more polished than the twang-a-billy bombast of their previous album, . The heavy grit of the lead track, is augmented by and 's bright vocals, whereas the rhumba stylings of slinks along like two strangers locked in a tango. Songs seem more thoroughly constructed this time around, relying less on pure bravado and more on structure. That works well for the most part, but there's something lacking that was unrelenting and instantly likable in their previous release. That being said, is still a bright and worthwhile album with as many strong songs as any of their releases. ~ Zac Johnson