Rocky Votolato - The Brag and Cuss

The sixth LP from indie singer/songwriter Rocky Votolato finds him venturing out a bit from his previous releases, including 2006's Makers, to a place that's a little more country and a lot less rock and roll than his older work suggests. Interestingly, The Brag and Cuss is also the first time that Votolato has recorded with a full band, giving the album a much fuller sound than ever before. The album is anchored by both mid-tempo alt-country tunes such as "Lilly White," "Before You Were Born" and "Time Is Debt," as well as softer ballads like "The Wrong Side of Reno," "The Blue Rose," and "Whiskey Straight," the only song that hearkens back to Votolato's quieter days. Without a doubt, Votolato is one of the more talented songwriters out there, and he never allows the bigger sound of Brag to get in the way of that. Instead, he creates a sharp and focused album that is emerging as one of the year's strongest outputs. [www.rockyvotolato.com]