Full disclosure: I have become something of a one-man Slim Cessna and Co. cheering section on this site (that's not to say that others who write here don't love the man; they're just not as obnoxiously verbose about it). At this point, if the tall guy from Pawtucket joined a ska group that performed nothing but Avril Lavigne covers (suggested band name: SKAtr Boi), I'd probably find a way to like it. I think it only fair to let you know that my critical senses are rather blunted when it comes to Slim's stuff.

That said, this here's another keeper.

Blackstone Valley Sinners are a side band, and they sound like it -- in a good way. Ideally, a side project should be an opportunity to branch out in interesting and unexpected directions while retaining the core virtues of the primary project. That's precisely what these three Sinners do. Slim, of course, is the titular head of his Auto Club, and Judithann is the new-ish bass player for that soon-to-be legendary group. Rich Gilbert, the third guy in the lineup, is a member of Frank Black and the Catholics. Together, they play a brand of country music that is certainly recognizable to Slim's fans, while at the same time carving out a band identity through a solid mix of covers, originals, instrumentals and such.

Because the instrumental lineup consists exclusively of string players, it sounds to me as though all rhythmic duties are being covered by one of the least-expensive drum machines I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. Rather than detracting from the experience, the metronomic drumbeats make everything seem slightly off-the-beaten-country path, which is most definitely a good thing.

The covers, which include tracks by Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams Sr. and Slim Whitman, are solid, but it's on the originals that the Sinners find their voice. Cessna and Gilbert each have several tracks to their credit, with Gilbert's contributions comprising the instrumental portion of the track list. The guitar work on each of these tracks is deep and tasty, in that understated way that only great guitarists playing country music can truly carry off.

Slim, for our delectation, hauls out one longtime staple of Auto Club set lists, "Lethal Injection". The Sinners read this one pretty straight, and the song, while perhaps a bit rawer than the version found on American Country Music Saved Her Life , is familiar enough. The same can't be said for "Cranston Sinner", a song co-written by fellow Auto Clubber Jay Munly. While the song has not yet made it to an Auto Club record, it has been on display at live shows for some time. The version here is barely recognizable, as Slim has transformed his gothic exhortation against sin and depravity into lounge music. The effect, for someone who's heard the song in its full glory, is somewhat mixed: it's still fun and interesting, but the standard version's palpable threat doesn't make it into this one.

Which leaves us to consider the three tracks on which Gilbert and Cessna put their heads together. All of them are excellent, with the country death lament "Slater Mill" standing out as perhaps the album's finest song. It's the double-tracked, Slim-on-Slim declaration of the circumstances of his brother-in-law's death, and the guitar solo that closes it is breathtaking. On this, the trad-country honky-tonk "Angel", and the story-ballad "Knightsville", the Blackstone Valley Sinners find their voice -- and what a welcome, simple and effective voice it is.

-- Brett McCallon