Description:
The sophomore disc from Rod Picott is a solid roots-rock effort that reflects the graveled, road-weary tone in his lyrics and voice. Finding a mid-point between folks like Steve Earle and John Mellencamp, with dashes of Springsteen for good measure, Picott`s style is earnest and genuine. Having honed his talents on Nashville`s music row, and capped some songwriting credits with Fred Eaglesmith and longtime pal Slaid Cleaves (two featured here), he has emerge a solid writer with a sensitivity that contrasts well with his coarse vocal delivery. Stray Dogs runs the spectrum of gritty roots-rock, emotionally rich acoustic ballads and some good old rock `n` roll. A couple of guest harmony vocalists appear on two tracks. Slaid Cleaves steps in on album closer "River Runs", a string-heavy acoustic ballad detailing a rambler`s lament, and Alison Krauss helps poetically detail the Carney life in "Circus Girl". Heather Johnson of Performing Songwriter Magazine proclaims that "Rod Picott definitely leads a new generation of talented roots writers." (Welding Rod Music)
