Whitey Morgan and the ’78s
“Sonic Ranch”
Whitey Morgan Music
Ditties about drinking, carousing and enjoying life abound on Whitey Morgan’s newest self-released disc. The honky-tank act out of Flint, Michigan, sounds more than a little too joyful to be from that long-troubled burg, which is perhaps explained by the opening salvo “Me and the Whiskey.” “Low Down on the Backstreets” is far from an ode to Springsteen, but rather celebrates small-town Americana (OK, maybe it’s from the Springsteen cloth) in a country rhythm. “Waiting Round to Die” is a dirge worthy of Waylon Jennings or latter-day Johnny Cash. The album slumps a bit in the middle until “Drunken Nights in the City” provides a singalong hangover lament. “Good Times Man” is a road ode about the narrator attempting to reach a lost lover — and redemption — in California.
Mr. Morgan will bring his unique Nashville sounds to the District Sunday, performing at Hill Country DC in Northwest at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 to $70 by visiting Ticketfly.com.
• Eric Althoff can be reached at twt@washingtontimes.com.
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