If I Were a Bird

It may well be impossible to label their genre, but no one can mistake a Ryan Shupe song for someone else. If you break down what the band has deemed itself — "PostHeeHawFunkadelicHipHopNewGrass" — you get the picture. The Rubber Band plays a quirky blend of bluegrass, rock, country, and funk. Perhaps they leave it impossible to explain so that you're forced to listen; after all, there really aren't words for it. One thing is for sure: no one west of the Mississippi has Shupe's chops on the fiddle or mandolin. The best songs to characterize the album's sound are the title track, "Two Year Old Attitude," "Walk the Walk," and "Set Your Sails." The lack of cohesion keeps the album from flowing completely. For example, it's hard to appreciate the sincerity of "Love You 'Til I Die" when it's sandwiched between his woes of not being James Bond and the calypso story of a diaper-clad delinquent. Fans of Peter Breinholt and Big Parade should nevertheless enjoy the folk influences in this laid-back, politically incorrect collection.