Bob Collum & The Welfare Mothers - Set The Stupid Free

Oh dear. The last few years have seen alt country troubadours such as Jeff Tweedy and Ryan Adams redefine plaid-wearing traditionalism and, in the process, drag it free from its drab, staid and frankly naff moorings. Unfortunately Bob Collum & The Welfare Mothers do their best to drag us right back to that dark place. Set the Stupid Free is full of all the musical clichés that have dogged the genre in the past: from the do-it-yourself simplicity of the bass and drums to the ever-whining guitars. Collum has been praised for his 'musical directness' on previous records, but here it just sounds lazy and half-arsed. It's hard to shake the feeling that this album would be better served stuck on the front of a Country Music for Dummies guide. At least then, somebody, somewhere, might find a decent use for it. Framed as entertainment alone, this just ain't good enough, y'all. [Barry Jackson]