Locash Cowboys (Average Joe's, 2013)

Preston Brust and Chris Lucas, the duo known as LoCash Cowboys, have a self-titled debut full of modern radio friendly country / pop / hip hop songs. If their name and record label don't tell you everything you need to know about this group, take a look at the album cover. Maybe the old adage could be reworded as "never judge an album by its cover," but in this case, what you see is what you get. There aren't any songs about riding fence lines or rodeo. There are no heartfelt love ballads or odes to simple country life. These are high energy modern country songs designed to be played loud in big city dance clubs, not beat up pickup trucks out on the rural route. If you were offended by Blake Shelton's recent dismissal of traditional country artists or Jason Aldean's Dirt Road, then you may want to skip this disc.

The guys kick off the album with the mandatory list song, Hey, Hey, Hey, which lists coonskin caps, whiskey, beer, whitetail deer, big mouth bass and so much more as evidence of just how country they are, in case the hip hop guys in front of their girlfriends car on the cover threw you off. They follow it up with the summer pop jam Chase A Little Love, and a handful of songs that bring to mind Emerson Drive, Bon Jovi and LFO. Yes, that's right, LFO, the boy band responsible for the catchy Summer Girls hit in the '90s.

This mishmash of styles can likely be traced back to Big & Rich, who broke down barriers with their excellent "Horse of A Different Color," but this duo doesn't quite live up to their predecessor's debut.

The songs are heavy on the production, with lots of computer programming over the vocals. It blurs the lines between '80s rock, mainstream hip hop and modern country. When they slow down, their faults are glaring, but with a press of the skip button, they quickly bring the party back. In case the listener forgot just how country LoCash Cowboys think they are, they close the disc with the ironically titled, C.O.U.N.T.R.Y.

There isn't much substance here. It doesn't seem like that was the duo's intention anyway. Those looking for a high energy, fun album to sing along with have now found the companion to their favorite Florida Georgia Line disc.