Trailercana

Album Review

Alt-country bandleader, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Antsy McClain is a funny guy, as you might guess from the title of this, his second album. While his tongue is firmly in cheek most of the time, don't expect him to make fun of trailer park life or rednecks in general. He was born and raised in a Kentucky trailer park and his homespun humor isn't scathing or self-effacing. Trailercana laughs with, not at, the folks who live in Middle America, and the Trailer Park Troubadours are crackerjack musicians who can pull off a cowboy jazz tune, a Tex-Mex waltz, or a funky R&B rocker with equal aplomb. Think Asleep at the Wheel with a broader range and an even more exuberant sense of life's absurdities. "DysFUNKtional" defies musical expectations by blending a boozy country blues stomp with doo wop backing vocals to tell the tale of a gal who may have multiple personalities, but still throws one hell of a party. "Joan of Arkansas" is a story-song about love, infidelity, and revenge that could have been given a dramatic over the top performance, but the band's Southern boogie groove and McClain's unassuming vocal give the tune an understated poignancy. No matter what you expect from a song called "I Was Just Flipped Off by a Silver Haired Old Lady with a 'Honk If You Love Jesus' Sticker on the Bumper of Her Car," possibly the longest song title extent, you'll be surprised. The tune uses a country gospel beat and churchy close harmony singing to convey a serious message about the difficulty of finding faith and salvation in a world that's gone to Hell in a handbasket. Just as you're getting used to McClain's skewed world-view, he pulls out "Falling in Love in America," a country power ballad that strings together all the clichés about our country's freedom, opportunity, and optimism and delivers them with a sincerity that makes you proud of everything this country has to offer. Stars like Lindsey Buckingham, Tommy Smothers, and Bonnie Bramlett make cameo appearances, but they don't add any obvious firepower to the playing of McClain and his Trailer Park Troubadours. McClain's terrific songwriting and warm, earnest singing make this one gleam like a brand new aluminum Airstream trailer. ~ j. poet, All Music Guide