I'm going to say essentially the same thing about Electric Waco Chair that I said about Wacoworld a year or so ago: it's good drinking music for real people. Like an Americanized version of the Pogues, the Waco Brothers' music narrates an honest, working class life filled with modest achievements and regular disappointments. That's the country music vibe they're tying into -- the blue collar, work hard/play hard aesthetic of the forties and fifties. All that Nashville yuppie line-dance cellphone crap can go screw itself.

Electric Waco Chair suggests that the Brothers' sound hasn't changed much since Wacoworld. It hasn't needed to. You might notice an occasional compression of the country, blues and rock elements into a "twangy Rolling Stones" sound, but the Wacos are still the sort of band you listen to while christening the new weekend with cheap beer. Mekon Jon Langford is, as always, a nimble vocalist, though his performance here seems more mannered and professional than the antics you'll witness during liquor-fueled live peformances. Dean Schlabowske brings a less accented approach to his vocals, and punches up the guitar foundation, while Tracey Dear's mandolin and Mark Durante's steel guitar work add deft country touches. Alan Doughty's bass leaps nimbly between rock and blues, while Willy Goulding's drumming teeters on the edge of punk rock. Together, they make this stuff sound effortless.

If you aren't immediately won over by the vocal interplay of "It's Not Enough", you'll go for the folksy fiddle harmony of "Jamaican Radio Obituary". "Cornered" provides a prime showcase for Dear's mandolin, while the road anthem "Circle Tour" adds a slew of guest talent, including vocals from Kelly Hogan and Hawaiian guitar from John Rauhouse. Oh, and if you're looking for drinking anthems, you'll find plenty -- though the Waco version of "When I Get My Rewards" might provide the best mixture of spirituality and festivity.

If you've ever lost your job to a computer, your favorite neighborhood bar to a franchised yuppie watering hole or your apartment to condo development, Electric Waco Chair is for you. It doesn't bother with big picture politics, but there's no better soundtrack for spending time with real people. It's got cred, and more importantly, it has soul.