Finely aged collection of alcohol-themed country and blues

This is a 40-song set heavily populated with songs of grape and grain. There are blues tunes by Floyd Dixon, Big Jay McNeely, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Jimmy Liggins and Sonny Terry, but the bulk of the collection is drawn from classic country artists such as Merle Haggard, the Louvin Brothers, Wanda Jackson, Merle Travis, Hank Thompson and Faron Young. There’s also western swing from Bob Wills and bluegrass harmonies from Jim & Jessie. The album mixes classic songs of drink, drinking and drunkenness with tunes, such as Jean Shepard’s “That’s What Lonesome Is,” that are only peripherally related, or, in the case of Ernie Ford’s “Hicktown,” the antithesis of the album’s title topic. The sinning is stretched to tobacco and cocaine, as well. With so many country songs about alcohol and bars, it’s surprising the producers wandered from their main theme. Still, the sidetracks are often good and fit musically, so perhaps it’s best to just pop open another beer and quit complaining. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]