Those familiar with Bone Collector TV show host/head bow hunter Michael Waddell might initially be confused by the front cover of
The Brotherhood Album. The cover states "
Michael Waddell's Bone Collector: The Brotherhood Album." That said, Waddell appears nowhere here. Instead, he inspired the band, a Nash Vegas supergroup fronted by songwriters Rhett Atkins and Dallas Davidson backed by studio aces: guitarists Troy Lancaster,
Mike Payne, and Pat McGrath, pianist Tim Lauer, drummer Brian Pruitt, and bassist Joey Canaday, with Wes Hightower on backing vocals. The set includes ten (mostly) rollicking tunes written by Atkins and Davidson about hunting, fishing, the outdoors, and good times. It kicks off with the novelty track "My Baby Looks Good in Camouflage," and is followed by the set's other high point, "Weapons of Bass Destruction." (The latter dares
Barack Obama to come and get him. It should be popular with Republicans, Blue Dog Democrats, and Tea Party enthusiasts.) There are a few ballads such as the midtempo "Grandaddy's Gun," the overly sentimental "Keepers," and closer "Openin' Day" -- and they aren't talking baseball. But these are the exceptions. The standard fare here consists of hard-rocking contemporary country anthems like "Buck Fever" and "Hawgs," with enormous compressed guitars, mid-level drums, and assorted "sounds" tossed in for good measure. There is great humor in this music, but make no mistake: these good 'ole boys are serious about their outdoor sports. For hunters and fishermen and fans of middle-of-the-road 21st century country-rock music. (Vegetarians and PETA members might want to pass this one up.) ~ Thom Jurek