Skeletons

Brothers Osborne are almost an anomaly in modern popular country music—there's nothing slick or postured about them or their sound, yet they manage to win awards and get radio airplay. Their brand of country is light-'em-up, lean-back, feel-good: You do you and I'll be me. The Maryland-born siblings' third album is a breath of fresh air, free of virtue signaling and hand-wringing over the state of the world. Often, it's pure escapism: "Not every lover is a Coney Island thrill ride/ A taste of honey with a crazy streak a mile wide/ Cheap pills, fine thrills, fast spills, drive you like a stolen car/ But all the good ones are," TJ Osborne hollers on the chorus of "All the Good Ones," backed up by his brother John's scorching guitar, plus handclaps, harmonica and a relentlessly strutting bass. The spirited "All Night" ("I got the rebel, if you got the yell/ I got the raisin', if you got the hell") unashamedly adds a dancefloor backbeat alongside John's down and dirty guitar. That's not the only surprise. The brothers try out rockabilly for the racing "Dead Man's Curve," a little FM balladry on "High Note," and even Jerry Reed-meets-the-Allman Brothers boogie on shredding instrumental "Muskrat Greene." Their full-bodied love of classic outlaw '70s country and Southern rock bleeds all over the place, but it's not just drag. "Back on the Bottle" starts off like a Waylon Jennings or Merle Haggard classic, then dips into a swaying barroom singalong with drums that could've been lifted from a polka ditty. "Hatin' Somebody" lays down a jam-band boogie, bolstered by a gospel choir and Leon Russell-style piano. The title track takes a twangy trip down Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road," muscular blues guitar prowling behind TJ as he calls out a liar: "Got skeletons in your closet/ And I got bones to pick with them." Over three albums, he's learned to pull back on the purring growl that stole the show on early hit "It Ain't My Fault" and use it sparingly, like a secret weapon; here, his baritone singing voice is as rich as it's ever been. "I'm like Scotch and Zydeco bands/ I'm like B-side Townes Van Zandt...I'm a bad joke at the wrong time/ Hell, I'm a legend in my own mind," TJ sings on the soulful and self-deprecating "I'm Not for Everyone." "I'm good for some/ But I'm not for everyone," he adds, but Brothers Osborne are strong songwriters making good-time “outsider” music, yet unburdened by chips on their shoulders. What's not to love? © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz