Buttermilk & Rifles [Audio CD] Kev Russell's Junker

This side project from one of the Gourds' singer-songwriters extends the communal interplay of that organically eclectic Austin band. In addition to his fellow Gourd-mates, Russell enlists kindred spirits including Jon Dee Graham (on lap steel guitar), the female-harmonizing Damnations, Bad Livers bassist Mark Rubin, and bottleneck blues guitarist Steve James to put some loops into traditional American roots. Highlights extend from the snaky New Orleans groove of "Virgin of the Cobra" to the melodic balladry of "Imbibing My Prescriptions," graced by Debra Kelly's harmony and Max Johnston's fiddle. While Russell's vocals occasionally recall Levon Helm's from the Band--to whom the Gourds are often compared--"(Somebody Bring Me a Flower) I'm a Robot" sounds more like psychedelic Hee Haw. --Don McLeese