In The iPod: Drag It Up by Old 97's

I was excited to learn that another of my favorite bands, Old 97?s, have released a new album this year-Drag It Up, (the other being A Ghost Is Born by Wilco). It is a familiar mix of ballads and mid-tempo rockers, slightly different than the lead singer Rhett Miller?s solo album, which was more pop oriented. The most representative track is "Blinding Sheets of Rain"-it?s the kind of honky tonk tale of lost love that we?ve come to expect from Old 97?s. This album seems a bit ballad heavy with songs like "Adelaide," "Moonlight," "Valium Waltz," and the excellent "In A Satellite Rides a Star." "Cohuila," a Mexican influenced romp complete with accordion and mariachi guitars comes as a surprise. I?m still just getting into the album, but it seems to be another success, but hard to compare to the others so far. I need to listen to it some more before I can make a final judgment in regards to their back catalogue.