Unique and funny lyrics married to rootsy, rockin' country music that will crack you up while you're tapping your foot. It's Maximum Honky-Tonk

11 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Alt-Country, COUNTRY: Honky Tonk

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Can Bob Wire Save Country Music From Itself?

The release of Missoula, Montana honky-tonker Bob Wireâs new CD, Sentimental Breakdown, delivers another kidney punch to the soft white underbelly of modern country music. Wireâs mix of irreverent lyrics and rootsy, dance-floor-ready arrangements provides a solid alternative to the bland, over-processed music that passes for country on todayâs radio stations.

Recorded in Missoula with his band over the winter of 2007-2008, Sentimental Breakdown serves up ten original songs and one cover that showcase Wireâs sturdy baritone, which veers from a Johnny Cash growl to a Brian Setzer wail, sometimes in the same song. One local wag dubbed him âThe Burlap Fog,â a take-off on Mel Torméâs handle, the Velvet Fog.

Like Robbie Fulks, whom many consider the kingpin of alt.country, Bob Wire trusts his fans to be able to think for themselves, and to have an appreciation for his twisted worldview.

âA few reviews of âAmerican Pieholeâ (his 2006 solo debut) had something like, âwell, heâs no Robbie Fulks, butâ¦ââ says Wire. âAnd I think thatâs fine. Iâm not trying to be Robbie Fulks. Thereâs already a Robbie Fulks. And I imagine more than one music critic has written about Robbie, âwell, heâs no Bob Wireâ¦â I mean, it probably hasnât happened, but I imagine it.â

âCadillac Jonesâ opens the CD, and its brisk blues-rock guitar figure and sing-along chorus sound both fresh and familiar at the same time. Thereâs also a classic, honky-tonk shuffle that sounds like it would have been right at home alongside the works of Faron Young, Lefty Frizzell, and Ray Price in the mid-50âs. The song, âMy Heartache and Me,â features guest Bob Athearn of Missoulaâs Full Grown Men playing some classic, Floyd Cramer-style barrelhouse piano.

But Wire canât play it straight for very long, and at least half the songs on the CD are laugh-out-loud funny with their wry observations of modern relationships and life in general. The subject matter ranges from a raisin farmer defending the âsweet and wrinkly little snackâ (âIn Defense of the Raisinâ) to a happy-go-lucky Christian who loves the fact that he gets a âbrand new startâ every week (âJesus In My Heartâ).

A staple of their live show closes out the disc, a raucous run through of John Denverâs oft-covered âCountry Roads.â But youâve never heard it played quite like this breakneck version, which features two guest lead guitarists.

âSentimental Breakdownâ is chock full of sonic surprises, rib-tickling lines, and a good-time feel that infuses the whole set with a potent energy that makes you want to see these guys perform live.

Fortunately, Bob Wire and his band have several dates booked in and around Missoula for the rest of the year, and you can catch their tequila-fueled shows where theyâll no doubt be pounding out most of the songs from Sentimental Breakdown, as well as a couple dozen other original nuggets guaranteed to have you dancing and laughing at the same time. Just donât ask them to play any Hot Countryâyou might wind up wearing a box of raisins where the sun donât shine.

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