The Longest Street In America (Self-released, 2002)

Colorado roots rock band Rainville's music is littered with empty beer bottles and broken dreams, lost love and painful regret. These common country music themes aren't given the common treatment. John Common, Rainville's songwriter and frontman, writes revealing tales about men who declare that they "gotta find (their) own way even if it's the wrong way" and about women who are the ones that men "should have held onto."

While many of the songs here on are the quiet side, the band wisely gets a little rowdy too. The boozy "Wasted Away" and the T-Rex-gone-Texas-riffed "Five Dollar Shower" give the band's sophomore effort a welcome dose of energy. "She Scared Me" boast a looping Doug Sahm-like beat while "Emma" resembles an early Eagles ballad. Rainville expose their affection for that old raindog Tom Waits on "Let Me Come Back Home" (which sounds like a young Waits tune) and "How 'Bout You" (which has the barroom feel of a latter day Waits number).

Although their tunes are filled with heartaches and apologies, it never becomes too gloomy in Rainville. This Americana band shines with their passionately played songs about the various roads passions take you.