Red Meat
Alameda County Line
Ranchero
This is alt.country without the alt. This is punk rock right now, throwing it down old school twang style. Produced by Dave Alvin, this six-piece band moves through numbers with heart, energy, and talent. The pedal steel brings you to tears. The vocals, moving from Smelly Kelley’s down south croon and Jill Olson’s sweet country blues, just can’t help but make you smile• even when the song happens to be a sad one. The accordions hit just right, and sometimes there’s a bit of a rockabilly feel that creeps in, makes you want to start to swing, but that’s OK, you can swing.
Ranchero Records, 4200 Park Blvd., Oakland, CA 94602