(Hyena)

www.hyenarecords.com

Grayson Capps isn't famous, but he should be, if only for his delightfully skewed perspective on life. Although his distinctive sound is rootsy at its core, i.e. a Dixie-fried amalgam of twang-rock, Memphis soul, and roadhouse blues, Capps' Tennessee-Williams-meets-Charles-Bukowski lyrical style is equal parts Southern Gothic and Los Angeles noir. Capps' fourth album derives its title from his fans' description of his music, but it truly defies any easy categorization. "Big Black Buzzard," for instance, stomps through the Mississippi Hill Country turf of Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside, while "Sun Don't Shine On Willy" is a hillbilly hot-rod racing through the Nashville that used to be, and "Guitar" is an imposing Southern rock ballad. Capps' songs are literate, imaginative, and sometimes magical, his storytelling skills matched by an uncanny sense of musical history that will grow on you like kudzu vine.

 Standout Tracks: "Big Black Buzzard," "Fear Fruit Bearing Tree" REV. KEITH A. GORDON