Jack Sparks likes the new Old 97s album:
Thank God for Drag It Up. Now we're talkin'. This record has all the bravado of Wreck Your Life, with just a dash of age and maturity, that seems more of a natural progression from where these guys started. It's hard to put your finger on it, but that guitar sound is back. It's kind of biscuit mixed and gasoline fed, and it sounds crude next to Rhett's aching heart throb of a voice, but THAT'S the core of what they do. Just plug this into your car's outputs and get on the damn road. Murray's "In the Satellite Rides a Star," and Rhett's "Adelaide" will absolutely break your heart, and the opening track "Won't Be Home" is the kind of Friday night, rip the tops off the six pack, and get her rollin' anthem that this summer needed.
Good news. I also hated Satellite Rides, and after the band went on hiatus several years ago I more or less assumed Rhett would enjoy moderate mainstream popularity - by making music I'd never bother to listen to - and the rest of the guys would go on about their lives. Maybe I'll be able to retract some of my previous statements once and for all.