Roger Creager released his debut in 1998 with all the fanfare one might expect from a little-known performer without a label to promote his career. The quality of the music, however, guaranteed that someone would pick it up sooner or later and spread the good news. In 2002 Dualtone reissued
Having Fun All Wrong along with
Creager's 2000 release,
I Got the Guns. Both albums find a fully mature artist confidently plying his trade. While
Creager has called himself a singer/songwriter, he's more likely to remind one of
Dwight Yoakam than
Guy Clark. Even when he covers
Clark's "L.A. Freeway," the song has more twang per line than
Jerry Jeff Walker's version. On the ballad "Feel Again" and the upbeat "I Can Too,"
Creager builds his sound with honest-to-God fiddles and steel guitars. Producer
Lloyd Maines mixes and matches these traditional elements with drums and electric guitars to concoct a sound that's contemporary, while still retaining a natural quality. In other words, it reminds one of what a Nashville hat act might sound like if he wasn't over-produced.
Creager's a good singer too, injecting gritty soul into his lyrics.
Having Fun All Wrong will please country music fans who've been wondering what's been missing since
Garth Brooks hit the scene in the '90s.