I too have had this record since it was pre-released to fans in the middle of February. Simply put, it's a brilliant rock and roll record that for me, exemplifies everything that is great about the American roots rock, It's country influenced rock sung with intelligence and emotion. I can't imagine any rock and roll fan not liking this record.
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I had the pleasure of receiving an early copy of the new record "Lucky On the Side" from Mr. Russell himself and I sat down to review this record last night. This record starts off with three wonderful upbeat tunes. "What Do You Know", "American Bastard" and "The Score"! The difference from the last record begins to show from the opening licks of the very first tune. The power of the guitars, drum sounds and the arrangements themselves prove to be above and beyond what Rob and his Losers have ever accomplished. "American Bastard" and "The Score" blew me away with their unfiltered "Kiss my a**" attitude. These two tracks also brought to my attention something I had not heard on the first album; Real old school bass lines. Josh Reifert is the newest Loser, but I think he was the finishing piece of this Sore Loser puzzle. Rob and the boys got a real old school rock 'n' roll sound during these sessions and the bass lines put the tunes up to par with that sound. 

Next I indulged in one of the sweetest, saddest love songs that I have heard in quite a while. "Swing Swing" is one of my favorite tracks within this body of work from Johnson City's finest. As I journeyed further and further into this roots rock time capsule, I discovered more compelling tracks such as "After the Flood", "It's Time", "Great Depression" and "Lullabye", I began to realize the solid sonic structure these guys had achieved with producer/engineer Eric Fritsch(Scott Miller and The Commonwealth). The guitar sounds from both David Hart and Rob are slick, yet dipped in a batter made up of The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Wings, ACDC and JET! Very solid, very nasty! 

Andy Russell's drum tracks are nothing short of amazing. Andy plays solid beats on this record and leaves the showboating(wich we all know he is capable of doing)at home! The drums had to be my favorite aspect of this record! Another standout track for me is the tune "World Turns Blue". This song is obviously about the boys past two years on the road and the things they have left behind because of that! Lines like "a shot of Tennessee moonshine takes a little off the chill from driving all day long popping little white pills" and "It's not fair to keep you waiting while both of our hearts are breaking" will without a doubt make you think about where you are in your life and what you have left behind! 

"Cured" is another track that will pull on your heart strings. This is an older song of Rob's with a very different twist on it. The string quartet plays a haunting melody behind Rob's emotional vocal and a flowing bass line. Good job on taking a new approach to an old and timeless tune guys! The record comes to a close with a tune called "The No Prize". This is a song that also gets under the skin with lyrics like "First the bad news, there is no good news" and "why are you smiling when you know you should be desperatley sad". 

In conclusion, I will say as a well respected independent reviewer, I thought this was one of the best roots rock records I had ever heard. I have reviewed their live shows for the past two years for various publications including "The Metro Pulse" in Knoxville, TN and I hope to keep reviewing artists from the Johnson City, TN area. If you want a record you can laugh with, It is this record. If you want a record you can cry with, It is this record. If you want a record you can drink beer to, It is this record. "Lucky On the Side" is a masterpiece from four very talented guys. The album will be available at various locations throughout the southeast, but will be free with a ticket to the "Lucky On the Side" album release party at The Casbah. The event will begin at 9:00pm on Saturday, February 26th.
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If you thought good hearty rock was dead- you'd be wrong. This cd is awesome and really keeps your foot tapping (if you aren't dancing) all the way through. My favorite is Swing, Swing - but I love songs like that. You won't be disappointed in this cd by any means!
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Talent, not luck, makes album rock

"Lucky on the Side," Rob Russell & the Sore Losers
Review by Wayne Bledsoe

Rob Russell has spent two decades keeping stages hot from the Tri-Cities to Knoxville. His new release, "Lucky on the Side," with his band the Sore Losers, is rock-solid rock 'n' roll with just an edge of old-fashioned Southern rock.

The years have done nothing to diminish Russell's energy, and his songs (Russell writes all the lyrics and co-writes music with the band) are the sort that can be written only with a little maturity.

In "The Great Depression," Russell depicts a young woman whose alcoholism is only a symptom of a bigger problem: "The truth is so hard to swallow / You choke it down it comes right back up tomorrow / So you crawl inside the warmth of a botle / Drink to the great depression."

Tracks, including "Hey Hey Hey" and "The Score," have bouncy hooks that keep clicking the repeat button.

The disc's title comes from a song in which a longtime rocker wonders if he still has the stuff to be on the stage: "How am I gonna please a bunch of drunks like these?"

Russell can accomplish the task even if the crowd is stone-sober.
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