HAYES CARLL

KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories)

[Lost Highway]

Alt-country rising star Hayes Carll crackles with road warrior enlightenment and follows his heart with damn-the-torpedoes political impropriety. KMAG YOYO (a military acronym for “Kiss My Ass Guys, You’re On Your Own”) finds the Texas native wearing many of his influences on his sleeve. “Stomp and Holler” could easily be this century’s “Highway 61 Revisited” for its rocking bluesy bluster, the title track steals Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” as its blueprint for outlaw country, and you could attribute the pained-outlaw feel of “Hard Out Here” and “Chances Are” to Waylon Jennings without missing the dartboard. Standouts like “Another Like You,” the barfly pick-up duet sung with Shovels & Rope’s Cary Ann Hearst, and the roguish chemistry Carll shares with Corb Lund and Todd Snider on “Bottle in My Hand” more than make up for the album’s frequent unevenness. –Nick Krewen