Bobby Bare Jr.

Bobby Bare Jr. is all over the map in a beautiful way. With one of those raspy, yelpy voices that sounds like a better version of that guy from Kings of Leon, Bare Jr. does raucous rockabilly, tender My Morning Jacket-ian balladry and a strait-up mariachi-flavored Gram Parsons country tune - and that's just the first three tracks of his most recent release The Longest Meow. 11 songs recorded in 11 hours with help from half of MMJ and members of Clem Snide and Lambchop, The Longest Meow has the sense of endearing sloppiness and all the rough edges you'd expect from an album recorded entirely in a day.

Those that contend that "alt-country" died when Wilco wandered off towards ambient sound and classic rock and Ryan Adams decided to try a new genre with every record should give this cat a listen. Like Adams, Bare Jr. tries a little bit of everything, but instead of viewing the world through a different set of glasses for every experiment, Bare Jr. never strays too far from where his talent lies - rootsy Southern rock.

Plus the guy even pulls off covering The Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?"

Bobby Bare Jr.- The Heart Bionic from The Longest Meow

Bobby Bare Jr.- Where Is My Mind (Pixies cover) from The Longest Meow