West Coast Town (SideOne Dummy, 2017)
Chris Shiflett
Reviewed by Dan MacIntosh
Shiflett cranks it up with an honest-to-goodness regretful drinking song, "I'm Still Drunk," which rollicks to a punky, surf-y electric guitar rumbling undertow. Like the best drinking songs, though, these words are not merely about drinking alone. Instead, it's about attempting to drink off a hurtful break up, and with limited success.
If you're worried Shiflett might want to overly show off his guitar skills with this solo effort, you're worrying is in vain. Instead, his playing consistently serves the songs well. He's not any sort of golden voice either, but his singing is both accurate and sincere. His punk rock roots show through at times with a few well-placed F bombs. Warning: this ain't kid friendly or mainstream country ready music. It is, however, honest, realistic and emotionally moving. It is, in a phrase, the real thing. And from a most unlikely source.
CDs by Chris Shiflett
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