To be clear, this is not a traditional Country nor is Calicountry even “Frat Boy Country.” What it is, though, is good stuff. It’s Country/rap which makes no apologies for the rap which permeates the album. The lyrical story of the party tunes like “The Moon Shines” and “Raise The Hell” rise above most of the rising sub-genre of Country music. “Throwdown,” which features their tourmates (and label mates) The Lacs, is downright fun, as is “We All Country,” featuring Average Joes pioneer Colt Ford (who exec produces the album with Shannon Houchins), Sarah Ross (Who needs her own album soon), and rising star Charlie Farley. The song mixes familiar melodies while bringing some classic hiphop vibes to story. “What She Does To Me” feels like the Rap/Country answer to “Swingin’” while the title track rocks hard. There are even some interesting Kid Rock-like ballads in “On My Way” and “Much Better.”
There’s quite honestly nothing negative to say about Calicountry if you take the album and the band for what they are and what they do. There are plenty of artists like them who have tried to breakout but didn’t have one iota of the work ethic or savvy that The Moonhine Bandits have. Bird and Tex (who make up the duo) work hard and through their previous albums they’ve built up the band brick by brick and with Calicountry they deliver an album which should not only please longtime fans but also bring in a whole bunch more of new fans into the ‘Shiner family.
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