Search - Br5-49 :: Tangled in the Pines

They've endured late-'90s major-label hype and taken fire for their retro self-consciousness during their days on Arista. Despite all that, BR549 has proven remarkably resilient. While two founding members have departed, the reorganized lineup mixes veterans Chuck Mead, Shaw Wilson, and Don Herron with Chris Scruggs (Earl's grandson) and bassist Geoff Firebaugh. Loose and rocking, they rely on no-nonsense originals penned by Mead and Scruggs together and separately. Despite occasional clichés ("Honky Tonkin' Lifestyle"), most numbers are refreshingly free of pretense. Genuine regret pervades the Mead-Raul Malo rocker "That's What I Get." While "Tangled in the Pines" seems a confessional on the group's past, "Movin' the Country" skewers Music Row's soullessness ("tryin' hard not to fall through the cracks and grease up that machine"). A grittier, more honest instrumental sound complements the material. The quirky tempo changes on "No Friend of Mine" succeed and Herron's aggressive steel guitar now screams more than it cries. Few Nashville acts ever succeed in reinventing themselves; it seems BR549 have beaten those odds. --Rich Kienzle