Tar Hut (MISSING, 1997)

The pop world is going back twenty years to "Boogie Nights," and "Hot New" Country is mostly rehashed Eagles and other seventies pop. Not to be outdone, "Alternative" Country is having its own seventies flashbacks.

The Ex-Husbands are the latest act to come along laden with echoes of Jerry Jeff Walker and his Texas ilk. While Jack Ingram covers all sides of Walker's recorded output evenly, including the folkish angle, The Ex-Husbands are focussed primarily on Walker's rowdy honky-tonk side. "I Have A Ball" has a similar feel to "Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother," even if the lyrics are different. The song titles evoke the Seventies all by themselves: "Tequila, Salt & Lime," "Johnnie Walker Redneck," "Rodeo Man," and "I Was Born To Wander" are phrases with a familiar feel.

The band finally slows it down on the last two cuts, though still maintaining a flashback feel. The closing "Lovin' (Like It's The End Of The World)" ends the album on a surprisingly low key note. It's just as well, because by that time the listener will be exhausted from so much honky-tonkin'.