The second album by smart-aleck country diva Tammy Faye Starlite and her backup band the Angels of Mercy, 2003′s Used Country Female, sharpens both the jokes and the chops considerably from her debut. That first record, On My Knees, was too obviously a piece of satire, at times verging on mean-spirited put-downs; Used Country Female makes its points much more effectively by having Starlite (in reality New York performance artist Tammy Lang) be less obviously a figure of mockery. Some songs sound as if they sympathize with the narrow-minded, self-righteous worldview Starlite’s lyrics detail; as a result, the satiric jabs of songs like “I Knew Jesus (Before He Was A Star)” and the sultry, Peggy Lee-like “Don’t Make Me Pregnant” are much sharper than similar tunes had been on the earlier release. More importantly, the Angels of Mercy are a much more practiced and together band; fans of the Mekons’ mid-’80s country period or k.d. lang’s rockabilly-tinged first album will find much to like here. Starlite still goes for the obvious joke more than she should (“Ride the Cotton Pony” is about as subtle as its title), but Used Country Female ? great title, too ? is a huge step beyond the one-joke debut. – Stewart Mason