A helping of (Eddie) Spaghetti

I was never really a Supersuckers fan whether they were trying to be a hillbilly joke or not and Eddie Spaghetti is a pretty ridiculous rock name (a kiddie performer uses the name too). And even though the cover is dumb cartoon joke, what a nice surprise his recent solo album (Old No. 2) is, starting out with a good Dylan cover that hasn't been overdone ("Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You") and including a fine Nick Lowe cover ("Without Love," also done by Johnny Cash). Maybe his secret is that he doesn't overdo the material too much. Also, he's smart enough not to strain a voice that doesn't have a lot of range. His lowkey growl is just right for the hangover woes of "Carry Me Home" as well as the sweet, regretful "Some People Say" and the bouncy Sir Douglas Quintet joy of "Hey Sexy." As much as I like the idea of alt-country and roots music, too much of it today is mushy or snoozy. This is neither.

All Music has song samples or you can listen to the whole album at Napster.