The Bottle Rockets - Lean Forward (Bloodshot) The press release that accompanied Lean Forward informs us The Bottle Rockets have recently enjoyed their 15th anniversary together. That doesn’t quite put them there at alt. country’s year zero, but it’s close enough. Now reunited with producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel (who produced their 24 Hours A Day and Brooklyn Side albums) the band continue their exploration of the rockin’ side of Americana. Lyrically, they shed a little light on small-town America, love gone bad (is there any other sort) and current war and strife - all performed with a lightness of touch that juxtaposes and probably contradicts the band’s predilection for honest-to-goodness, hard driving, rock ‘n’ roll music. Indeed, on first hearing, tracks like “Hard Times” and “The Long Way” sound not unlike prime time mullet rock, rather than much of the wishy-washy singer-songwriter material which passes for independent Americana, these days. Here at Bangs, we inclined to think that Lean Forward is a fine addition to The Bottle Rockets’ canon, ideal for blasting out of the car on a sunny afternoon. www.bloodshotrecords.com www.myspace.com/bottlerocketsmusic www.bottlerocketsmusic.com Rob F. The Bottle Rockets - Indianapolis (Live In Germany, 2005) Next