Cracker fans have been tuned into guitarist
Johnny Hickman's songwriting abilities since "Another Song About the Rain," one of the finer moments on the group's 1992 eponymous debut. With each successive album,
Hickman has written a song or two on his own for the band, while co-writing many of its radio hits, but because he has served as
The Edge to
David Lowery's
Bono it is only now, with his solo debut album
Palmhenge that the world can truly hear the scope of his talent. The roaring, guitar-driven redevelopment criticism "The Great Decline" ("They're putting up a superstore where the local merchant tried") is poignant, but the heartfelt, haunting "Little Tom" may be
Hickman's most effective song ever. The guy does emotive pop ("Lucky"), observant, banjo-plucked country ("Southern Cal"), backporch country-blues ("The San Bernadino Boy"), and magical, "Grateful Dead"-inspired balladry ("Beauregarde's Retreat"), all of which qualify as "Americana" and all of which rank as extremely good.