Cuff The Duke — Sidelines Of The City

This is by far the best effort alt.country purveyors Cuff The Duke have ever brought to the table. Period. The deep, guttural guitar snarls of album opener "If I Live Or If I Die" perfectly embody the reckless abandon the title suggests. The soaring guitar solo coda of "Surging Revival" punctuates a song that embodies the '70s Americana vibe of the record. Most importantly, Wayne Petti has never sounded so in control of his voice. Where his nasal delivery used to take over, he delivers things with calm confidence, allowing the stellar musicianship to speak for itself. It's a formidable package when coupled with the unfettered and stratospheric guitar work that shines though in Hylozoist and sometimes-Cuff player Paul Aucoin's production. Cuff The Duke are sure to be as far from the sidelines as humanly possible with this effort.