On Down the Track (Scrimshaw, 1997)

Unlike most of their peers in the "alt-country" movement, Two Dollar Pistols make music that is really country. This despite (or because of) the fact that most of its members are still in non-country bands for their main gigs (one being the drummer from Squirrel Nut Zippers). From the opening notes, "On Down The Track" successfully evokes the musical spirit of the original Flying Burrito Brothers. John Howie writes songs that would have sounded right at home with the Burritos, or lots of other sixties acts country acts.Vocally, he's a bit limited, which becomes most obvious when he tackles "She's Gone, Gone, Gone," a song made famous by greats Lefty Frizzell and Willie Nelson.

Howie fares much better in comparison to Tom T. Hall on the latter's "I Flew Over Our House Last Night" and handles everything else adequately, although he's no Gram Parsons. But their cover versions add nothing new, and for that matter neither do the originals. This isn't ground-breaking in any way, but as a honky-tonk party album, it's great fun.