Morrison-Williams (Palo Duro, 2005)

Offering a unique brand of progressive country, Texas duo Shayne Morrison and Clint Williams reinvent themselves with their label debut. Country fans may recognize this pair of harmonizing songwriters from their years together in Perfect Stranger.

These dozen tracks explore some of the timeless themes of the country canon such as love lost and cheating. The lead off single - the catchy "My Girl Friday," epitomizes the cheating song; it relays the message that you better be good to your girl, or she may find someone else. Taking a twist on this traditional theme, the song is written from the perspective of a man that is having an affair with a woman.

Other highlights include the country ballad "Beautiful Regret," a song the duo co-wrote about falling in love with the wrong woman at the wrong time and the bluegrass-tinged "Good Day to Die (the Alamo Song) with its galloping rhythms and Dobro. The album closes with a countrified version of Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show's classic "Cover of the Rolling Stone."