You Do Your Thing (CD - 2004)

Personnel: Billy Panda (acoustic guitar, acoustic 12-string guitar); David Grissom (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Dan Dugmore (acoustic guitar, steel guitar, lap steel guitar); Russ Pahl (acoustic guitar, steel guitar, banjo); John Willis (acoustic guitar, bouzouki); Rivers Rutherford (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Steven Sheehan (acoustic guitar); Kenny Greenberg, Pat Buchanan, Tom Bukovac (electric guitar); Bryan Sutton (banjo, bouzouki); Chris Dunn, Jim Horn, Sam Levine , Steve Patrick (horns); Reese Wynans (piano, organ); Tony Harrell (keyboards); Greg Morrow (drums, percussion); Shannon Forrest (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Gale West, Gabrielle West, Gretchen Wilson, Jason Sellers, Jeffrey Steele, Joe Scaife, Neil Thrasher, Angela Primm, Tom Hambridge, Wes Hightower, Bekka Bramlett, Perry Coleman (background vocals).

Additional personnel: Hank Williams, Jr. (vocals); Reese Wynans (Hammond b-3 organ); Michael Rhodes (bass instrument); Shannon Forest (drums); David Grissom, Eric Darken, Steven Sheehan, Tom Hambridge, Bekka Bramlett, Tom Bukovac.

Audio Mixers: Julian King; Steve Marcantonio.

Recording information: Maple Groove; Quad Studios, Nashville, TN; Sony-Tree Studios, Nashville, TN; Sound Stage Studios, Nashville, TN; Studio 6, San Francisco, CA; The Sound Kitchen, Franklin, TN; The Tin Ear, Nashville, TN; Westwood Sound Studio, Nashville, TN.

Editor: Tony Castle.

Photographer: James Minchin.

On album number four, Troy and Eddie make no major breaks with the tried and true formula that weds solid modern country music to the long raucous tradition of redneck rock. But then again, they don't need to. It's true, they streamline it, rock it up, and bring in some more rock & roll, but essentially, these cats lay down 12 very solid tracks written by a slew of Nash Vegas songwriters, most notably Rivers Rutherford, Jeffrey Steele, and Bob DiPiero, who wrote the lion's share of the set. Steele and Rutherford also produced various tracks, as did Blake Chancey and Joe Scaife. But it all comes down to the performances, and Montgomery Gentry sing these songs like they were their own. And in a sense, now they are. The album opens with, Something To Be Proud Of, a reflective country song that looks at the past as a way of informing the present. It's got the anthemic chorus, but for the most part it digs deep into the heart of country music. The red, white, and blue individualism of the title cut may be hard for some fans to swallow -- but unlike many others who sing anthems to jingoistic patriotism or make self-righteous accusatory judgments in the name of political correctness (the other censorship), these good ol' boys offer tolerance at the heart of their message and insist on it in return. (And the roaring refrain is on a wailing par with that of "My Town.") The album's first single, "If You Ever Stop Loving Me," with its crunching guitars in the refrain, popping banjo in the verse, and even hip-hop scratching in the backdrop, is the summertime country-rock anthem for 2004. Rebel rock granddaddy Hank Williams, Jr. shows up on "I Ain't Got It All That Bad," a rootsy, moving statement of gratitude and acceptance that is the most resonant track on the set. There is also the sheer rock & roll roar of cuts like "If It's the Last Thing I Do" and "Gone," and the hillbilly craziness of "I Got Drunk," written by one of this album's guitarists, David Grissom. Grissom, who spent many years with Joe Ely and later starred with the John Mellencamp band, outshines virtually everyone here with his searing tone, in-the-pocket licks, and soulful fills -- and he never overplays. There are even a couple of old-school love songs here in "She Loved Me" and the midtempo ballad "All I Know About Mexico." Ultimately, this is easily the finest outing by modern country's most relevant duo; it rocks, it's soulful, and it's memorable. ~ Thom Jurek

Montgomery Gentry has repeatedly topped the country charts with an unabashedly traditional brand of country-rock that keeps one foot firmly planted on each side of the genre's fence. Celebrating the classic Southern virtues of unflinching patriotism and small-town pride, the duo puts a positive spin on the redneck-rebel image of artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hank Williams Jr., delivering a sound that's equally at home in the barn dance and the biker bar. On YOU DO YOUR THING, Montgomery Gentry brings its down-home sentiments even closer to the fore. The title track serves as something of a conservative manifesto, with Eddie Montgomery proclaiming his intention to pray, spend money, and engage in corporal punishment whenever and however he pleases. Similarly, "It's All Good" applauds a small community's staunch defense of the simple life in the face of encroaching modernity. Meanwhile, the duo is backed by an earthy melange of raging guitars, booming drums, and weepy steel, all of which lend the singers' sentiments a forceful authenticity. minimize