...like An Atheist In Nashville

With a bubbly voice pitched somewhere between Lloyd Cole and Buddy Holly, Steve Owen has put together a solid collection of folk/country-rock on Like an Atheist in Nashville. A particular highlight here is "The Ballad of Wendell T. Phillips," a tale about an alcoholic, one-legged clown. And despite the borderline irony, Owen can spin a yarn like the best of folk or country singers. This is particularly evident on "Gravedigger," which Owen hunkers down into like an old, comfortable shoe. The country shuffle of "Comfort," meanwhile, is a rollicking shot in the arm for this well-written, varied Americana effort — which, by the way, was recorded in San Francisco, not Nashville.