On Crow Pot Pie, Slobberbone rambles through 11 slabs of drunken country-rock with the reckless intensity of an ill-tempered bronco. With that energy and the gruff vocals of singer/guitarist Brent Best, this Denton, Texas band thrusts rock back into the country-rock equation. The themes covered here are mostly drinking, rebellion, and revenge, and Slobberbone dedicates equally fierce fervor to all three. “Whiskey Glass Eye” and “Ruin Your Day” feature aggressive attacks of guitar and Best’s ranting vocals, while “Shoot You Dead” and “Sober Song” exhibit the band’s devilishly twisted sense of humor. “Stumblin’,” a jangling, melodic track, and “Dunk You in the River,” a twangy acoustic ballad, demonstrate Slobberbone’s ability to stretch beyond frantic cowpunk. An impressively strong debut, Crow Pot Pie possesses a refreshingly raw quality that makes you remember why you loved rock & roll in the first place. – Michael Frey