Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers

Fifth album from this Memphis band uses iconic rock'n'roll imagery and muscle-car riffs to chronicle a restless life full of drinking, bars, and girls.

Lucero frontman Ben Nichols has a voice that barely ranges at all, and he sings in an exaggerated grunt that's like Bob Seger with a throat full of phlegm, but in the context of Lucero's songs—all burning-ember guitars and raw need—Nichols' vocals are as natural as smoke. On the band's new album, Rebels, Rogues &…

Lucero have never been short on Replacements comparisons, which are still very much valid on Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers, but this time around they come off more like the Memphis version of Bruce Springsteen -- in the best possible way. This comparison is heard straightaway in the opening "What Else Would You Have Me Be?," and the subsequent music largely continues its loose and jangly feel, many songs rocking out in the tradition of those on 2005's Nobody's Darlings. However, thanks to the contributions of auxiliary player Rick Steff on nearly every track -- switching between organs, accordion, and piano -- the overall record sounds fuller and is more immediate than much of Lucero's past work.