More Like Me

They Say...

Review by Mark Deming, All Music Guide

Two decades on from his debut LP, Webb Wilder continues to work hard, rock hard, grow big, and wear glasses 'cause he needs 'em, and More Like Me, his first album in four years, finds him easing up a bit on the gas but still delivering a satisfying fusion of rock and twang. Wilder has a reputation for wearing his sense of humor on his sleeve, but More Like Me finds him taking things a bit more seriously than usual with his original songs -- "Too Cool for Love" and "She's Not Romantic" are bittersweet tales of couples who can't see eye to eye (the latter recalling Nick Lowe's recent work in its deceptive simplicity), and "Come Around" is a beautiful but moody number dominated by some great layered guitar work. But when Wilder digs into the covers, he rocks out and delivers the sort of party his fans have come to expect. "Ju Ju Man" is a good and greasy rocker and Wilder gives it all the energy it needs, he finds just the right note of playful menace in Roky Erickson's "Don't Slander Me," and "She Said Yeah" is rollicking barrelhouse rock & roll of the first order. As usual, Wilder has a first-rate band at his disposal on More Like Me, and the production (by Wilder and multi-instrumentalist Joe V. McMahan) is straightforward but full-bodied, hitting a potent groove without wearing it into the ground. Webb Wilder shows some real growth as a songwriter on More Like Me, but even if you don't want to hear something mature and intelligent from the guy, he's still capable of cutting a solid roots rock album, and one spin of this disc will provide ideal accompaniment for beer drinking or fast driving.