Hymn

Country Hymn is the band’s third and most cohesive album, complementing the stylistic variety of We Can Do Anything (2015) and the novelty humor of Power to My Friends (2010). It was recorded, mixed, and produced by John Miller (Secret Stash Records) and mastered by Bruce Templeton (Microphonic Mastering). The recording’s twelve tracks include the dark, old-timey opening ballad, “Betty on the Road” (track 1), the jaded academic’s honkytonk waltz “Old Country” (track 3), a Tom Petty-esque rocker about aging called “Fading Flower” (track 4), a touching country/folk number with a string arrangement, “Staying Around” (track 5), and the powerful Tom Waits-like title track that was composed in a dream (track 11). The album also includes two covers: Bob Dylan’s “Odds and Ends” (track 2), sacrilegiously including an original bridge (!), and a wild cowpunk rendition of the Sweet’s “Blockbuster!” (track 12) as a bonus track. Start the album at the beginning and play it straight through you won’t regret it.