Some Part of Something (Clean Bill Music, 2017)

Whiskey Shivers are the real deal. There's no pretense involved. A rough-hewn bunch of musicians that reference the heartland and drive the music forward, the band - Bobby Fitzgerald (vocals, fiddle), Andrew Van Voorhees (bass, vocals), Joe Deuce (washboards), Jeff "Horti" Hortillosa (vocals, guitar), and James Bookert (banjo) - hail from a variety of locales, but keep that allegiance to Americana music as a consistent common bond. Their tattered vocals, archival instrumentation and down home delivery, whether raucous or rambling, testify to their true intents.

Still, that doesn't mean they're merely good old boys by any means. They're pictured mooning visitors to their website with apparent little abandon, and the songs that grace "Some Part of Something" often tow the line between respectability and rebellion. A sweetly sung tune like "True Love (Will Find You in the End)" may be all about promise and perseverance, but a take on The Cure's "Friday I'm In Love" and the blatant denunciation of a former lover in "Fuck You" ("Fuck you and the horse you rode in on") demonstrate the fact that these boys have no qualms about baring their fangs whenever the situation demands.

While Whiskey Shivers may open themselves up to typecasting on occasion (their stage persona is all hillbilly happenstance), their willingness to skirt the stereotypes via their song selection suggests an easy label doesn't always work, even when an image seems obvious. And while the music sounds like bluegrass that trends towards the traditional, attitude and aptitude find common ground. Bending the rules seems to be what this band's all about, and it's that careful divide between new and old, urgency and upheaval, that suggests "Some Part of Something" is a fateful encounter indeed.