Took Down and Put Up (Lonesome Day, 2007)

If Larry Cordle didn't grow up a half wild boy roaming the hills and hollers of Kentucky, he sure would fool people. His CD speaks to a way of life passing us by - jams session with mountain young 'uns like Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley, and adolescent discovery of the joys of girls, muscle cars and guitars. If you grew up in the country in the '50s and '60s, this CD speaks.

Some of the best music going just don't care how you label it. Cordle has been carrying that torch a long time, starting with "Highway 40 Blues" and the famously irreverent "Murder on Music Row." He continues the tradition here, doing the unapologetic duet with Travis Tritt of "I'm a Little Rough Around the Edges." Some of the tunes are downright sad, such as the tribute to Keith Whitley and his untimely passing at age 33.

Cordle is still a bit of a rounder, but you have to admire his honesty with his music.