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It would be a mistake to claim that Missouri's answer to Neil Young's Crazy Horse has gone soft, but their first release in more than three years shows greater range and reflection than is typical for the rock-solid quartet. The opening "Better than Broken," the brooding "Happy Anniversary," and the acoustic, wistful "Where I Come From" all evoke the aftermath of romantic upheaval (or, in "Suffering Servant," its uncertainty). "Middle Man" could be the band's signature tune, defining a sensibility that is Middle American in more than geography. The sage wisdom of frontman Brian Henneman's "Blind" and the twang of "Feeling Down" show the band's countrier side, while "I Quit" has the groove of retro soul. Yet the guitar finale of the seven-minute, album-closing title song finds the Bottle Rockets as explosive as ever. --Don McLeese