keepers - 4
keeper avg .333
Just Us Kids hits all the adult contemporary americana requirements, which is fine but no single song on the first side from the CCR-inspired "Bayou Tortous" to the pleasantly shuffling "Hurricane Party" has much beyond that. The annoyingly honking "God Bless America" and award-winning "Cheney's Toy" channel the outlook of the long-suffering 49% that didn't vote for Bush 43, but both suffer from dragging, stomping tempo. McMurtry continues to wear his distaste for red state
un-sophistication but with more subtle production to complement the intimate scale of the "Ruby And Carlos"****. Murder ballad-inspired "Fire Line Road"**** and "The Governor"**** continue to detail the dark side of conservative rural America, both in harrowing detail, while "Ruins Of The Realm"**** laments the disintegration of left-leaning American ideals due to the 'war on terror', but without the ponderous tempo and production of the previous anti-war songs.
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