Stillwater, OK's
Cross Canadian Ragweed have been quietly carving out the kind of solid foundation that most bands dream about since their arrival in the crowded alternative country scene in the late '90s. The well-worn equation of relentless touring and recording has yielded the group a ravenous fan base, as well as an impressive amount of record sales for an act that barely rises to the tip of the pop culture tongue. For their seventh full-length album,
Cross Canadian Ragweed tread familiar yet firm ground, crafting earthy, sepia-toned road songs like "51 Pieces," "Bluebonnets," and "Pretty Lady" that are as good, if not better, than anything they've released in the past. It's a well-traveled highway, and the ghosts of the acts that came before them -- like
the Eagles,
Marshall Tucker Band,
Neil Young, and
Gram Parsons -- are always in the rear-view mirror, but
Happiness and All the Other Things ultimately keeps its eyes on the horizon.