Big Tex and the Blazin' Pintos

Fans of dirty country punk 'n' roll will love Big Tex and the Blazin' Pintos. With raunchy, twangy tunes like "Young and Filthy" and "We Miss Your Chili," this band may be Phoenix's answer to Hank III. The cowboy-hat wearin' quintet's debut album, Round Up, is basically 16 tracks of jailbird cowboy attitude, from the Texas blues riffs reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughan on "Trap Door" and the rodeo metal of "Skip Town" to the Red Hot Chili Peppers-flavored "Slump Bustin'" and the creepy swamp strains of "Hoo Doo Queen." If the anarchic yee-haw grooves don't convince you that the band members just want to make you dance and drink, check out the stage names on these hombres: Big Tex, Oklahoma Crude, Mudd Tucker, Lightnin' Doc Johnson, and Black Cat Jibbs. There are also some short non-musical bits throughout the album, including a faux commercial for erectile dysfunction pills and a sketch about an advice helpline called "Just Ask Reno." There's even a disco-flavored funk number called "Dumpin' in the Disco." This colorful cowpunk collection sounds like a pure party in the studio, which means the live show — where the band promises to "bust it loose and tan your caboose!" — should be one hell of a cattle drive.