The Beatles. Bob Dylan. The Waterboys. Gram Parsons. Together at last!

Well, not quite. But the latest CD from the alternative-country band Whiskeytown will conjure up the music of all of them. The main force behind the band is Ryan Adams, a Jacksonville Florida native and a fine young songwriter. In this album he has paid tribute to his influences in 15 new tunes. The Ballad of Carol Lynn kicks off the album with its Dylanesque vocal and raw harmonica, followed by the pop-oriented Don't Wanna Know Why. Jacksonville Skyline is Adams' bittersweet salute to his hometown, and has some very strong Gram Parsons flavor to it, as do Reasons to Lie and Easy Hearts. Jacksonville Skyline features the colorful imagery characteristic of Adams' writing, as in the line "somewhere the night sky hangs like a blanket, I shoot it with my capgun just to make it seem like stars". Throughout the CD Whiskeytown makes liberal use of a unique baroque string quartet sound that is reminiscent of the Beatles late-60s recordings, but particularly on Mirror Mirror and Paper Moon. Caitlin Cary contributes excellent harmony vocals and tasty fiddle-backing on most cuts, including providing the Waterboys feel to Bar Lights.

I am enjoying this CD a lot, and would suggest it to those who like eclectic country, and strong melody in their tunes. If you buy it, be sure and let the two or three minutes elapse after the end of Bar Lights, and you'll get a nice surprise.