With an experienced producer like Vance Powell—who’s twiddled knobs for Jack White and Buddy Guy— the Joplin, Mo.–based Ben Miller Band have the right man capturing and sculpting their studio sound. This is a group with deep roots and enough personal character to make their efforts a cut above the usual roots-oriented ensemble. “23 Skidoo” aims for the Rudy Vallée era for a cheeky turn, but the majority of the tunes here are full-out rockers that use a fascinating mix of instruments to get the job done. “Burning Building” uses heavily tremoloed guitars to break through, while “The Cuckoo” cranks up the traditional dirty distortion of a blues rock band, with a twist of hard psychedelia in the mix. “The Outsider” rocks just as hard, with Miller’s banjo and Doug Dicharry’s drums and washboard nailing down the Americana rhythms. “You Don’t Know” goes right for John Lee Hooker’s brand of boogie. “Hurry Up and Wait” floats between the slide guitars of the blues and a beautiful bluegrass melody. “Prettiest Girl” presents a skilled country waltz.