Teddy Morgan & The Pistolas - Lost Love And Highways (1999)

This third album by roots rocker Teddy Morgan may not break a single square inch of new ground, musically or lyrically, but you won't care much about that once it starts to play. Backed mostly just by his own guitar plus bassist Jon Penner and drummer Chris Hunter, Morgan combines the twang of the Tennessee Three with the rock sensibility of Buddy Holly and a host of blues influences. The result is largely terrific, with the strongest tracks--rockers like "Bullet from a Gun," "Nothing to Go Back To," and the title cut--sounding as infectious as anything from Tom Petty and as earthy as anything from Steve Earle. But the ballads shine too, with the tender vocal on "One More Night" in particular revealing that there's more than one side to this artist. ~Jeff Burger