"Nashville Moon" kicks off the new Texas Sapphires album with an implicit rip on the country music industry. You can understand their frustration, because the originals on As He Wanders... would all monster hits if they'd been been cut by an A-list act. The production isn't slick, but the playing is impressive, and the band's lead singers --- Rebecca Lucille Cannon and guitarist Billy Brent Malkus -- deliver these tales of drinkin', depression and heartache with plenty of working-class soul.

The tracks range from the Bakersfield twang of "How Did I Get So Sloppy Drunk (When I Was Drinkin' Neat)" to the whirlwind bluegrass pickin' of "Farmer's Tan" and the dark honky-tonk romance of "Make Him Make Me," a showcase for Cannon's smoldering vocals. Tunes like "Stunt Double" and "190" are full of the clever wordplay that used to be the hallmark of good country songwriting, played by a band that obviously takes its country roots seriously.