Always Tomorrow (Sideburn, 2002)

If Tim Carroll were to write a personal ad, it might sound something like this. Goofy, good-natured former punk-rocker who also loves country and soul but who also still likes to play his guitar really loud and spastic-like seeking punk-rockin' honky tonk girl who thinks Hank woulda done it this way.

And it's fairly certain that punk rockin' honky tonk girls will dig "Always Tomorrow" and that Hank, author of both "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "Howlin' at The Moon," may not have done it exactly this way, but he would have certainly appreciated Carroll's tendency to mix his heartbreak with ha-has. There are songs about sexy mamas ("Put the Sugar On"), loving music and being broke because of it ("A Lotta Rock and Roll"), appreciating unemployment ("Why Did I Need a Job" - co-written with Bobby Bare Jr.) and super fast trains ("The T.G.V."). Carroll gets help from Lonesome Bob and Elizabeth Cook on "You Met Your Match" (co-written with Duane Jarvis) and "You Come to Mind," which could melt a punk rock girl's heart in two.

Getting albums released hasn't been easy for Carroll and has output has been somewhat limited as a result. That makes "Always Tomorrow" all the more rewarding.