Fabulous damn album
Bought 4 CDs at once - this one, new Jakob Dylan (a fine album itself), Ryan Adams, Elvis Costello - and this is the one that stays in the CD player nearly full time.

The early Steve Earle comparisons are fair, and I'd throw Chris Whitley's Living with the Law in there too (maybe even Lowell George era Little Feat), but Bingham's decidedly got his own sound, a raw authentic blues-inflected alt country rock that can piledrive on one song and lope on the next. The band's musicianship, particularly on the occasional banjo and slide parts, is exceptional.

The sheer number of great songs on this record tell you that this is a guy who's got a lot more in him. Everyone loves "Southside of Heaven," "Bread and Water" is great (first time my girlfriend heard it, she started dancing - isn't any way you can listen to that song and *not* move), but right now I can't get enough of "The Other Side." I'm just sad when it stops after only two minutes.

I haven't seen him live yet; I can tell you I haven't been this excited to see someone in person since I first heard Springsteen on the radio.

Buy this CD or the MP3 version so he becomes a big star and we can all hear a lot more of him, OK?

Hidden Gem, Steve Earle would be proud!
Well, having had a few songs from this album on my Ipod for a while, i finally broke down and bought the Vinyl(LP)version of Mescalito. I was pleasanly surprised to find that not only the stand out tracks, Bread & water & Southside of Heaven...but the rest were well written and tuneful. Perhaps stealing a page from Steve Earle's early work. Throw on "Dollar a day" and you get a strange vibe, he must have been listening to "Guitar Town" one to many times.....outside of the obvious influences....this album was worth the purchase and is bound to get more than a few spins on my turntable.

This one's a grower!

WOW!
I bought this for possible free shipping. It was one of those, "People who bought what you've bought also..." suggestions. I like it twice as much as the two cd's I just HAD to have! Bingham's growly rough voice and wonderful accompaniment make for a unique and interesting album--lots of upbeat songs and toe-tappers.

Wonderful and Original!
I bought this for my husband, but I have also enjoyed it! If you like American, Alt-Country, Folk-Country...what ever you want to call it you will love this album. Very much "country, when country wasn't cool". Bingham's raspy voice and poetic lyrics make for interesting contradictions. Good variety of songs and content. Highly recommend.

Supercharge Your Kia!!!
This is the song that has brought The Dipper out of retirement (more along the lines of an extended ((distended?)) period of laziness)! The Dipper has got Texas Fever and Ryan Bingham has turned it into FUEGO!!! Mescalito is the Krakatoa of current Texas Music!!! In a previous review, I yowled about The Cult's 2001 song "Take The Power" and how it made me and my Kia spin a 360 degree doughnut at 90mph on the New York State Thruway. Well, Ryan Bingham's song "Bread & Water" is the sole reason why that very Kia is now in the junkyard (where it came from)! Yes, the speeding Dipper rolled the Kia by the end of "Bread & Water"! Dippnik the Tubby Satellite tried to dead-stick the hurtling Kia into southbound Exit 18 on the Thruway recently and made it almost half the way round the cloverleaf before another Black Crowes inspired guitar lick caused all loss of Kia (and bladder) control. Off the edge we went into the inky blackness of a New Paltz cornfield night! The Kia squealed, I squealed, Ryan Bingham crooned, Houston we have a really big problem!!! We tumbled and rolled through half an acre of corn before I came to an upside down stop hanging by my seat belt (ALWAYS wear your seat belt when cruising with The Dipper). The best part, the CD kept playing so, I kept hitting replay until I got Mudpants and his flatbed to finally find me in the weeds. He brought beer and we listened to Ryan until the junkyard opened at 8AM. So, your pal, The Flipping Dipper is off to get a replacement Kia (again) this weekend. But Mescalito is coming with me!!! And, by the way, "Southside of Heaven" will absolutely put you into a happy trance along with "Sunshine", ahhh, hells bells, this album is basically perfect. Buy it now and tell the speed cop that The Dipper warned you!!!