Lonesome Spurs (Cleopatra, 2006)

When Lynda Kay Parker lets loose a trio of jolting "Lord-have-mercys" in the opening track, "Ride Straddle Saloon," they seem to burst out of nowhere; the shift in octaves is so sudden, it's as if Parker does it by rote. But that's part of the joke.

That's not the only sly humor on this bluesy rockabilly disc. The most overt is in the lyrics to "He Spelled My Name Wrong," a Parker composition about what happens when a woman desperate for a man mistakes stupidity for cleverness and dry humor.

Parker has been compared to Wanda Jackson but, really, sounds like Michelle Shocked, dropped down a half an octave and, of course, with wit. If playing a "Samsonite suitcase kickdrum"—made, literally, from a piece of luggage is not wit, then what the heck is it? Thriftiness? The Spurs do have that. The group consists of Parker, who also plays guitar, and electric guitarist/backup singer Danny B. Harvey. With little more instrumentation than that, they make a big, driving sound that is instantly enjoyable, moody and clever by bits. If Parker's singing lacks anything in sincerity, well, there's plenty enough else here, on the Spurs' debut, to hide the seams.