Mr. Wilson Explains America

Despite what the title says, he doesn't, but that's easy to forgive since Mr. Wilson Explains America is country comedian Tim Wilson at his finest, grumping and griping about the state of the world and sticking to his definition of America no matter what the news. Bad news is that the weakest cut is up front with "Ya'll Better Get Your Guitars Back Out," declaring that rocking-out will help rescue the country from the dreadful 2009 economy. Wilson's many music industry friends will get a kick out of it, but it's the rest of the album that will satisfy Johnny and Josie Lunchpail as it bounces between funny songs most fans have already heard on the Bob & Tom radio show and live standup that's casual, loose, brash, and charmingly homespun. It's not just the refusal to upgrade that makes Wilson such a funny stick in the mud, but his allegiance to yesteryear as he berates an audience member for not knowing about Faron Young ("I know he was before your time sir. Lincoln was before my time but I read a book"). If Ronnie Van Zant was alive today he'd beat the [bleeped] out of Kid Rock" gets a proper hoot and holler from the old-school audience, but even better are the lyrics to "Explaining Acid Country" which tell of a time where "our heroes were Roy Acuff and Abbie Hoffman," a true American recipe that helped "momma make a well-rounded outcast outta me." It's the songs that push the album over the top as "Jetpack" wonders what happened to yesterday's idea of the future, while "Lotion" addresses loneliness ("But she was married and she told me "no"/Where did my lotion go?"). Any given country singer could have a jukebox hit with the well-written "What Gill's Still Drinking About" ("I'd kinda like to go out/With what Gill's still drinking about"), and the closing "Booty Man" is welcome since most missed the great Barry Whitestyled cut when it first appeared on Wilson's bizarre concept album from 2003, Super Bad Sounds of the 70s. Here his strange formula of rustic values and left-field ideas has been perfected, making Mr. Wilson Explains America a great introduction to this country-fried curmudgeon.