With Me or Without Me

Album Review

Eugene, Oregon's Tom Heinl has managed to make a record in 2003 that sounds is if it is at least 30 years old. It's not that With or Without Me is retro — the sad-sack country and truck drivin' album simply sounds like an artifact of another time and place. At first, it's difficult to determine if Heinl is being serious, though it hardly seems to matter when he crafts such contagious country-rock tunes, from the Seger-esque grit of "Pinto Squire," to the mobile home anthem "Trailer Fever." But by the time you reach the down-and-out country tune, "Three-Way," it's clear that Heinl is the Momus of country music — serious and satirical (not wry satirical either, but totally off-his-rocker satirical). When Heinl sings "you know it kinda turned me on when you told me one time you had a three-way/and I thought that might be something I would like to try someday," it is devoutly Countrypolitan in tone (right down to the female backup singers) which makes it all the more hilarious. No need to feel left out, either. When this record ends it starts up all over again, and this time without vocals — yes, Stereoke! (Momus did this on Little Red Songbook) so fans can perform songs like "Christmas Tree on Fire" themselves. Tom Heinl is crazy, but with the deep croon he copped from Lee Hazlewood and genuine songwriting talent, he's right up there with Ween, making ridiculous music that, as it turns out, is darn good.