Holler Back

It’s taken the Lost Trailers a few tries to properly capture their rollicking country-rock mix. Thanks to punchier production (courtesy of Brett Beavers and Blake Chancey, among others) they’ve hit the mark on their fifth album, Holler Back. This Nashville quintet’s prowess as a live act comes through on this set of (mostly) newly-penned tunes. Ryan Lee’s lead vocals blend Travis Tritt’s growling edge with Mark Miller’s smooth finish. There’s a good dose of Memphis R&B in their sound, manifested in the gospelly undercurrents of “Things You Don’t Grow Out Of” and “All This Love.” First and foremost, the Trailers are here to pledge allegiance to the country verities of backroads mud, down-home love, NASCAR, and the U.S.A. “Country Folks (Livin’ Loud)” and the title track are hellacious affirmations of Dixie-fried dreams, while “The Rest of Us” offers a more downbeat look at the working man’s lot. Lee and his crew take a Springsteenish tack on “Hey Baby” and rekindle teenage passions in “Summer of Love.” Holler Back’s closing track is its best: “Gravy,” a righteously rude defense of pot farming with the spunk of a Skynyrd record. Looks like the Trailers aren’t so lost anymore.