BLACK IN THE SADDLE - COWBOY TROY
As Big & Rich’s hick-hop sidekick leaps toward rap-metal on his second album, his country influence shrinks to occasional fiddle fills and square dance calls while his charmingly clueless rhyme flow triangulates through a ’90s top 40 universe bounded by Coolio, Crazy Town and Fun Lovin’ Criminals. The most energetic track, “Blackneck Boogie,” sounds even more vintage — mid-’70s funk-rock guitar licks and disco strings under a DJ. Hollywood rap style older than old school. Tough-guy attempts like “Lock Me Up” can get a bit oafish, and some slower tracks aim for seriousness, too: “How Can You Hate Me?” counters racist threats; “Paranoid Like Me” is pop ominousness with proggy Metallica parts. But the Eurosynth remix of “I Play Chicken With the Train” is crazy like a frog, and “Cruise Control” a supremely effective summer picnic basket blaster. Any remaining Uncle Kracker fans will love it. Billboard
