Commander Cody

Ann Arbor's most famous expatriates are beginning to shape up as the nation's quintessential honky-tonkin' bar band. They alternately project the boyish rowdiness of a factory softball team after a winning game and the depthless despair of a lone barfly, all the while retaining a unique sense of humor and a taste for the novelty number.

Indeed, the Commander's cover of the old Leiber/Stoller gem, "The Shadow Know," is one of the strongest cuts on the album, accurately reproducing the bug-eyed braggadocio called for. Several of the tunes "lt's Gonna Be One of Those Nights," "I Been to Georgia On A Fast Train," "Roll Your Own," exude that good-timey rockabilly energy. For all that, one might wish for a harder edge to these performances. It is all a tad too laid back for me. Still, an enjoyable elpee.