Buckshot (Bloodshot, 2000)

What's that saying about the more things change, the more they stay the same? Looking at how much the lineup has changed, you'd hardly expect The Riptones' sound to remain so familiar. Of the original members, only creative force singer/songwriter/guitarist Jeb Bonansinga and bassist Earl Carter remain.

However, new members Kurt Wiesend and Michael Krasovech, while providing a distinctly different look, fall right into place with the traditional Riptones sound. That includes plenty of twang in a rockabilly/roadhouse style of music that The Riptones perfected over the years in previous releases. It's a sound that one could expect to hear coming out of the beat-up jukebox in the back of any of thousands of taverns in thousands of dusty little country towns or blasting from the dashboard of any of thousands of 18-wheelers as the driver keeps time on the steering wheel.

Songs like "Rebel Rock Armageddon" and "Get Me A Job" are rollicking rockabilly stompers, while "Pardon Me" sounds as if it's straight from the Buck Owens songbook. The final track, "Burdett's Pond" is a slow, mournful ballad greatly enhanced by the pedal steel of guest guitarist Frank Anderson. The Riptones are as solid as ever.