Haywire

Album Review

Before bands like Uncle Tupelo and the Jayhawks came along (and of course, Wilco, later on), the territorial lines were clearly drawn between country and rock — very few rock acts of the '80s and early '90s were courageous enough to meld the two styles together. But thanks to those aforementioned bands, Americana was born and gave way to bands like Frog Holler. Their fifth full-length, Haywire, hit the streets in 2006 and showed the Reading, PA-based group was quite content to follow in the direction laid down by their previous releases. A multi-membered outfit (Frog Holler is comprised of six "official" members), its ranks were expanded even further in the studio this time around, as a pair of additional vocalists and a violinist joined in on the fun. Even with the additions, however, "the song remains the same" for the group musically, as evidenced by such highlights as the almost garage rock-esque "One Last Time" (with a little more grit and grime, it could resemble a fine Dinosaur Jr. track) and the more serene, country-tinged "On Winter Blues." There isn't much new here that a longtime Americana/roots rock admirer isn't already long familiar with, but that may be the redeeming quality of Haywire — Frog Holler continues to stick to its guns.