The Lacs - 190 Proof (2012)

Somewhere between the bigger and richer Cowboy Troy and the more bar band-ish Rehab are the Lacs, a down-home "hick-hop" crew who earn their "average Joe" cred by skillfully dropping a Jimmie Johnson reference within the first minute of 190 Proof, their sophomore album. The kick-ass-and-boom-tracks attitude of Colt Ford is another touchstone -- and the Lacs are signed to the man's label -- but these "Loud Ass Crackers" are even more jukebox-oriented, sticking with the drinking numbers that are easy to sing along with and even muscling into Kenny Chesney territory with the fruity drinks and faux reggae of "Island Time." Filling the rest of the album with Larry the Cable Guy-worthy skits and getting Big & Rich and Bubba Sparxxx to fill the guest list make these guys seem like the most calculated thing ever to come out of Baxley, Georgia, but nothing here feels forced and everything comes off smoother than the cheap beers the Lacs worship. Silly, fun, and probably destructive stuff, but those Rehab albums have ballads and sometimes Colt Ford gets "preachy," so next time you need a soundtrack for shooting cans off the pond or "pre-gaming" with "road sodas," the Lacs got you covered, and you can give that keg a good pump during the skits.