Midland - ON THE ROCKS (LP) [Vinyl]

About halfway through their eponymous 2017 debut, Midland sing that their music isn't "Check Cashin' Country," a contention that might not quite square with the trio signing to Big Machine, one of the biggest labels in Nashville in the 2010s. Nevertheless, there's a grain of truth in that sentiment, as the group's debut On the Rocks is proudly out of step with the sounds of commercial country in 2017, containing nary a trace of electronics or hip-hop. Unlike other country throwbacks, Midland don't revive hardfloor honky tonk. They're bringing back the mellow, easy sounds of '80s country, sounding like a cross between Alabama, George Strait, and middle-aged Merle Haggard. On the Rocks also has a heavy dose of Dwight Yoakam -- he can be heard on the sly mariachi underpinnings of "At Least You Cried," and on the lean boogie of "This Old Heart" -- and that's the key to the group's success. Midland picked up on how Yoakam's magpie tendencies were strengthened by strong songcraft, and that l