Driven by off-kilter fiddles, a bizarre sense of humor, and punk-inflected country-rock,
16 Horsepower's first full-length album,
Sackcloth 'n' Ashes, is a weirdly captivating listen. Nearly every song is a strange, backwoods fable, delivered with clever irony that never undercuts the essential, disturbing intentions of the songs. It's not for everybody, but for alt-country fans tired of
Gram Parsons homages,
Sackcloth 'n' Ashes is a welcome listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine