Waco Brothers: Do You Think About Me?

The mere existence of Waco Brothers, the country-music arm of the legendary Mekons, has caused some country purists to ask if the British should really be allowed to play country music. (Considering what they did to blues, it's not an entirely inappropriate question.) The title track of Do You Think About Me—the album's first, longest and worst song—won't do anything to ease their fears. But they should just sit tight for a while and let this nifty little album happen. Once they put the bad horns and Georgia Satellites imitations to bed, they'll realize that the members of Waco Brothers do insurgent country as well as anybody. They never settle down to one sound, but it's not unpleasant to hear the twangy, Zevon-esque pathos of "South Bend" right after the cowtown goof of "Hard Times," a funny, catchy attempt to use the word "hard" in a song as many times as possible. And perhaps best of all, the group has stopped trying to sound like The Clash. Now its detractors can enjoy this excellent record while doing something really important, like wondering if The Old 97's are actually Texans.