Cuff The Duke — Cuff The Duke

Cuff The Duke

Hardwood/Universal

Bryan Borzykowski (CHARTattack)

07/26/2005 2:23pm

It’s been three years since Cuff The Duke unleashed their indie alt.country on the masses. Now, with a new home on Hayden’s Hardwood Records, the band try to outshine their stellar debut. With more electric guitar, odd falsettos and average songwriting though, this record falls short.

Disc opener "The Future Hangs" sounds like a countrified Super Friendz, while their electric version of Life Stories For Miminum Wage’s "Anti-Social" only serves to magnify the difference between their two records. There are a few bright moments, like the haunting "I Really Want To Help You" and the rollicking "The Ballad Of Poor John Henry" (unfortunately showcasing Wayne Petti's falsetto), but in the end this second attempt makes you long for Cuff The Duke’s good ol’ days.

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