This Same Fate (Kranepool, 1997)

This Disciples of Agriculture release got the three R's: rootsy, rambunctious and Roscoe. Eric "Roscoe" Ambel proves once again that he's the producer to have when you want that "truer sound." These guys sound like they listened to the Stones, the Scorchers and the Georgia Satellites and came up with a happy hybrid sound. It's hard to sit through this record, so be prepared to move the coffee table out of the way and make a dance floor.

D.O.A. are more like dusty work boots than black leather jackets. They take a song like "Cow Down" and make it believable. "Girl Up The Road" has a walkin' talkin' bass line that comes straight out of Carnegie Hall era Buck Owens, with a nod to Paul McCartney (former Satellite Keith Christopher plays bass on this record). Add in World Famous Blue Jay Jeremy Tepper, and you've got a who's who of roots rock in one place. All these luminaries don't outshine what is best about this record: great songwriting. With this record, main penman Dan Finn makes a strong entry into the rocking side of the alt.-country genre.