Hayes Carll is an artist who physically appears almost exactly the way he sounds: gristly and refreshingly unrefined. Accordingly, his 4th album, "KMAG YOYO", would play as an appropriate soundtrack to an evening of kicking back a few drinks with your buddies in a small town saloon. Carll's storytelling is reminiscent of Todd Snider, and his mix of humorous lyrics with driving country music makes for an entertaining listen
The disc leads off with "Stomp and Holler", a steak and potatoes ditty showcasing Carll's growly voice over meandering electric guitar, with barroom country overtones ever-present. Later on is the title track, "KMAG YOYO", which is a military acronym for "Kiss My Ass, Guys, You're On You're Own". This rambling rocker is full of witty wordplay, bluesy electric guitar, and thinly-veiled objections to war. The following track, "Another Like You", is a duet with folk-singer Cary Ann Hearst that contains a fun, flirty, sarcastic repartee on the way to drunken sex. An additional highlight is "The Lovin' Cup", a tune that finds Carll jestingly detailing the rocky end of a relationship's "honeymoon" period, before thinking better of it and playfully returning to his better half, hat-in-hand. There are also multiple twangy ballads interspersed throughout "KMAG YOYO" that add even more rustic paint to the this country-filled portrait
"KMAG YOYO" is filled with down-on-your luck stories, anecdotes about drowning your sorrows in whiskey and beer, and the perplexing motivation of trying to live right despite continually catching bad breaks. There is a certain irreverent swagger to Hayes Carll's performance, and his music comes off as delightfully unpolished. The listener may find themselves living vicariously through him as he haphazardly experiences life's many conquests and missteps. In the song "The Letter", Carll declares, "This life is like to kill me, but it sure has been fun..."; I don't think I could have said it better myself.
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