Midland - Let It Roll (2019)

A conscious backlash to bro-country's skinny jeans and faux-rap, Midland mines a beloved but "uncool" slice of history: the mid-tempo neo-traditionalism of '80s kings George Strait and Clint Black. To charming advantage, the Texas trio has stripped away the earnestness and layered on a mischievous wink. But don't be fooled by the retro irony of their Nudie suits: These hipsters aren't just play-acting. They can do boot-scooting tracks (the swinging "Mr. Lonely"), heartache tunes (Tex-Mex-tinged "Put the Hurt on Me") and barfly ballads — the two-step shuffle "Every Song's a Drinkin' Song" features a drunken-sounding dobro — with equal conviction. There are also genuine surprises. The Southern rock strut of "21st Century Honky Tonk American Band" suddenly shifts into a Glen Campbell-esque dream sequence. And "Lost in the Night" finds singer Mark Wystrach affecting a husky whisper — "dancing at the Holiday Inn, your fingers through my belt loops" — alongside both pedal steel and yacht-rock sax. What could be a mess drifts just on the right side of camp and makes you think maybe these guys actually are reinventing the wheel.