The Steeldrivers Reckless [LP]

The Steeldrivers may play traditional bluegrass, but they do it with a style that's informed by outlaw country and rock & roll attitude. Mike Henderson, who plays mandolin, resophonic guitar, and harmonica and also co-writes the majority of the band's original tunes, was one of the founders of the Dead Reckoning label, an alt-country label that released some of the best non-Nashville country albums of the '90s. That maverick approach is evident in the sounds the Steeldrivers generate here. The tempos on Reckless are more varied than those on their self-titled debut, but even the slower tracks pack the big emotional punch that bluegrass fans love, the kind of feeling that used to make country music dangerous. Case in point: "Guitars, Whiskey, Guns and Knives," a midtempo romp that manages to celebrate and caution against excess at the same time, with quite a bit of dark humor. Chris Stapleton sings lead with a powerful low tenor that's equal parts country and bluegrass. "Ghosts of M