Steven Casper & Cowboy Angst
Album: Trouble
Label: Silent City
Tracks: 6
Website: http://www.caspermusic.com

Punchy, confident stall-setting uptempo opener Cat On A Hot Tin Roof is a swaggering rocking number that throws into its knowing twelve-bar formula tinkling piano, hot electric guitar solos, cooing female backing chorus and pulsing rhythm section. But Mr Casper and his four colleagues still mean business by the time they reach the Petty-esque jangle of the more pensive Soul Deep, and he displays no lack of thrust or commitment here.

This straightahead-Americana-styled love song trades on companionable steel- and organ- driven settings that show an understanding of the catchier end of the country-rock spectrum without selling out to the bland mainstream. Trouble’s title song is a steaming uptempo drive-along mex-style opus complete with accordion solo, while Hey Marie is a timeless rocker.

There’s a slight cheat in that amongst the disc’s 24-minute menu, How Am I Going To Miss You is given two bites at the cherry with a bonus, rootsy “front porch version” (an acoustic-based instrumental with guest fiddle and banjo) that, strangely, strikes a deeper chord than its pop-styled counterpart and as such does in the end deserve its extra outing. All in all, the playing and delivery of this modest six-tracker is assured and radio-friendly, even if there’s little feeling of true Angst among these particular cowboys.

David Kidman