Description:
The title track may lament the fact that even arrested adolescents grow old, but, if anything, James McMurtry sounds more energized than ever. On Just Us Kids, he and his longtime rhythm section -- Daren Hess, Ronnie Johnson -- have solidified their sound into a low, tribal rock growl, with McMurtrys fierce guitar work leading the way. The Austinite doesnt couch his tales in metaphor; he tends to come right out and say whats on his mind. This might seem a ham-fisted approach in the hands of a lesser talent, but McMurtry knows how to tell a story. The music just helps thicken the stew. Buoyed by the success of his 2005 single, We Cant Make It Here, which tapped into a wellspring of societal discontent, Kids politically minded tunes (God Bless America, Cheneys Toy) follow suit. While they dont make their point quite as eloquently, they dont play like forced sequels either. Still better are the all-too-human characters that populate Hurricane Party, Bayou Tortous, Ruby and Carlos, Freeway View, and Fire Line Road; youll not only get to know them, but youll find them hard to leave behind. -- Jeff McCord, Texas Monthly (Lightning Rod Records)
