Let's get the obvious out of the way: Steve Albini has gone country. Yes, he produced this CD. Yes, he's thanked prominently. Yes, it rocks. There, I said it. Let's get on to tastier morsels.

So, how 'bout them Sadies? I, for one, am seduced. While an occasional Bloodshot Records release strikes me as a bit contrived -- you know, bands trying so hard to be country though they're Chicago to the bone -- the Sadies don't risk that shortcoming. It's not so much that they do everything right, but that they're claiming new territory that's less country and more '60s bubblegum, shit-kicker pop music. Some cuts, namely "Loved on Look", resurrect another mix of country and pop that passed last year -- that of Doug Sahm and his Sir Douglas Quintet. Mixing up doo-wop with Hammond-infused ? and the Mysterians-style sugar-coated pop, this cut has enough soul and hook to make ol' Sahm proud.

Just as Sahm's SDQ got a lot of mileage out of suggesting they were British mop-tops in the '60s, when, in fact, they were Texas good ol' boys, the Sadies can't help but benefit from their association with alt-country and all its trappings. There's a considerable amount of coattail riding a competent outfit can benefit from. But I'll be damned if these boys don't knock the whole alt-country thing on its ass by injecting odd influences and unexpected changes in mid-stream. Take "The Creepy Butler" as an example. A goofy, lurching instrumental, this cut sounds as if it came straight from the mind of Sid and Marty Kroft. If only Witchie Poo were to make a guest appearance, I'd melt into the ether.

The Sadies...a damn fine band that'll keep you guessing. Why can't more country be this smart?