Country's the medicine cabinet of musical genres:Got yer uppers, got yer downers, got yer everything in between. And -- as with all pharmaceuticals -- there's nothing like a nice jigger of granddaddy's bourbon to make it all slide down sweet. Crying, laughing, whatever ... but you damn well better be feeling something, and if you're not, well, try another pill -- er, track. Nothing's better than a band that'll swing you up just as quick as it'll swing you down, and Slim Cessna's Auto Club walks both sides of the line -- the one between bone-jarring jubilation and lying down in a ditch to die -- with style. Cessna and crew deliver their alternative blend of country, gospel and swing with the zeal of an old-time, shake-the-sin-out preacher. The eternal brawl between Lord and devil takes lyrical center stage in many of the group's wry, irony-tinged songs, making us thankful yet again that the savior and the ultimate sinner haven't managed to kiss and make up. The Auto Club's seamless, gritty twang keeps the crowd hopping -- and it ain't just from the flames of hell licking at their boots.
