Pug Johnson would like to lower the bar. He humorously says so on this album’s final track “Lowering the Bar,” which opens with the line “My glory days are behind me” before Johnson admits, “Farewell to the nines/A thick six will do fine.” If this is Johnson’s washed era, it suits him well. The singer-songwriter from Beaumont, Texas, finds inspiration in classic country and old-school rock, citing Jerry Lee Lewis and Merle Haggard among his chief influences, and any track off this 15-song collection wouldn’t sound out of place on a jukebox bearing such names. “Bubbles in My Beer” channels the retro, off-kilter sensibilities of fellow Texan Robert Ellis, with accordion from Austin-via-Germany multi-instrumentalist Jan Flemming adding a dash of Tex-Mex flair. “Just to Love You” could have been a Willie Nelson ballad, with its soaring chorus and professions of unrequited love, while the aforementioned “Lowering the Bar” closes the project on a playful, almost clownish note, thanks to Johnson’s self-deprecating delivery and some particularly rotund tuba.