Star Room Boys - This World Just Won't Leave You Alone

Straight country bands often wallow in the misery of heartbreak without sounding as if they've reflected on the subject with much depth, while run-of-the-mill alt-country acts are usually smart enough to mock this process without acknowledging the depth of their own hurt. Dave Marr of the Star Room Boys is one of the few singers and songwriters who has managed to have it both ways -- the guy is just jaded enough to write something like "Cocaine Parties," but there's no irony in his hurting songs, only the sweet, chronic ache of having the blocks knocked out from under your heart, and his voice (somewhere between Dwight Yoakam and Jay Farrar, but without the obvious mannerisms of either) was made to be heard on a jukebox in a dimly lit honky-tonk. Read More