WacoWorld (Bloodshot, 1999)

With promises of another round of "honky-skronk" and the inherent pleasures of a meeting between Johnny Cash and The Clash, the Waco Brothers return for another go-round of tear-in-your-beer tunes filtered through an English pub-rcok sensibility.

Composed of members of The Mekons, Skull Orchard and assorted others, The Wacos largely deliver on their promise - but can't seem to give much more than that. The barrelhouse banter of "Red Brick Wall" and the boozy-woozy bounce of "Regrets" are welcome. Lugubrious arragements on selections like "Pigsville" and "Fire Down Below," however, keep the spark from catching. The sound here ranges from the in-your-face strumming of the now-defunct True Believers to slowed-down Squeeze. Which is to say some of the production seems to water down the Wacos' natural fire.