Big In Iowa combine that Buck Owens Bakersfield sound with Austin`s smart honky-tonkin` attitude and some good ol` George Jones style heartbreak ballads for a classic country set. The bulk of their material comes from Ohio native (the whole band is from Hamilton, OH actually) Mike Gray, who has a deep, rich voice that foots the bill perfectly to suit these tales of broken hearts, broken homes, broken bottles, staying up late and drinkin` some. A varied sound compared to some of their previous releases, Geezil Pete! even finds the quartet venturing into rock territory. Most notably so in the riff heavy Southern rock album closer, "Cheap Drunk", which owes more to Lynyrd Skynyrd than it does to Lefty Frizell. Smartly written - with a couple contributions from bassist Ken Glidewell and one from guitarist/mandolinist Dan Andrews - and excellently executed, Geezil Pete! lives up to the band`s "Homegrown & Handmade" axiom. (self-released)
