I'm One Of You

Hank Williams, Jr. delivered one of his finest albums in 2002 with the loose-limbed, vigorous The Almeria Club Recordings, a record that found the veteran outlaw sounding more muscular than he had in years. A year later, he followed it with I'm One of You, a more conventional latter-day Hank Jr. record, one that was a little slicker, brighter, and broader. While the earthy vibe of Almeria is missed, I'm One of You retains some of sinewy, rebellious spirit of that record beneath the glossy exterior, giving it a good gut-level punch made all the stronger by the solid set of songs he's chosen for this effort. As to be expected, there's a fair share of jokes, such as "Liquor to Like Her" and "American Offline," but these are more nimble than their titles, as are anthemic ballads like the populist title track and the expert, moving Waylon Jennings tribute "Waylon's Guitar," which is right in the vein of "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way." It all adds up to a strong latter-day Hank Jr. record, another solid entry in the low-key artistic comeback he's had in the early 2000s.