Entering their second decade, Shupe and the Rubberband continue to
specialize in a hybrid sound that combines string band acoustics,
bluegrass harmonies, rock bass and drums, and the complex changes of
progressive rock and funk. And though their songs are filled with
easily accessible melodic hooks, their instrumental chops are
substantial. After a brief dalliance with the majors for the DRM-
infested "Dream Big" in 2005 (on which Shupe described himself with
tongue-in-cheek as a banjo player that's "a cross between Béla Fleck
and Eddie Vedder, but better"), they've moved on to the Montage Music
Group for this latest release.

The opening of the first track, "Don't Leave Me Lonely," sounds as if
it was plucked from Nils Lofgren's 1975 solo debut, and with fiddle
and country vocal harmonies, the arrangement suggests "melodic country-
rock ahead." That notion is quickly sidetracked by the funky fiddle,
drums and banjo (yes, funky banjo) that open "Last Man Standing
(Number One)," leaving the listener to wonder what this band is about.
The off-balancing act continues through the rest of the disc as foot-
stomping guitar-and-fiddle gives way to pop, bluegrass, flamenco, hick-
funk and progressive folk. Shupe writes frequently of protagonists
longing for love, including "Don't Leave Me Lonely," "Please Be Mine,"
"All I Need" and "Be the One," but strikes his deepest chord with the
indelible portrait of "Lonely Person." The missed opportunities of
"So" speaks of missed opportunities, "If You Could Live a Different
Life" ponders just-in-time escapes, and the album's funniest work, the
talking blues "Corndogs," is a love song to everyone's favorite
carnival food.

Shupe's songs are more memorable than his voice, which is serviceable
but not particularly distinctive; the group's harmony singing fills
things out nicely, however. Fans will enjoy this latest chapter in the
band's catalog, bluegrass loyalists may find this happy hybrid
insufficiently traditional, and rock fans may think this too pop. All
will agree that the band's mix is original, and their musicianship is
top-notch.  [(c)2008 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]