The Notorious Cherry Bombs (Universal South, 2004)

Originally formed in the late 1970s to back Rodney Crowell after he left Emmylou Harris's Hot Band for a solo career, the Cherry Bombs - a band which included Vince Gill, Emory Gordy Jr., Tony Brown, Richard Bennett and Hank DeVito- were legendary but unrecorded during their heyday. Reunited recently to perform when Crowell received an ASCAP award, the group (with a few substitutions in personnel) took a gamble when it decided to stick together long enough this time to make an album for Brown's label. The result isn't a spectacular jackpot, but it's a definite winner.

With bassist Michael Rhodes filling in for Gordy, the group revisits the polished but amiable country-rock it helped to pioneer years ago. Gill and Crowell are up front, doing most of the singing and songwriting, but they and the rest of the crew sound more like what they are - friends having a good time - than stage and studio superstars engaged in a high-profile reunion. Highlights include the pair's hilarious hard country anthem, "It's Hard To kiss The Lips At Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long."