Reviewed by Ian Webber

With one of the best names in rock and roll, California's Mike Stand now adds his considerable talents to Thumper Punk Records' 3 Song Acoustic series. As a pioneer and lead singer for the '80s punk rock outfit The Altar Boys, he has moved through a variety of genres to his most recent foray into the rockabilly world, with the three piece Altar Billies. In these three recordings he pushes even further into a stripped down rockabilly/country sound. Opening with the Altar Boys' "World Burning", a rhythmical strum drives this familiar track along with a tripping lilt that allows Michael to show off his earthy vocals that display elements of Johnny Cash in delivery. The other two tracks on offer are taken from his time with the Altar Billies and consequently do not sound quite so different to the originals. "Long, Long Road" maintains a bouncy Southern country feel and sits quite comfortably with the vocal/guitar arrangement and "Locomotive Don't Pass Me By" matches the rhythmical qualities of the previous offerings. Across the recording the guitars and vocals sound crisp and bright giving an authentic old gospel sound to these pleasing tracks. This collection is, however, going to appeal mostly to those who have followed Mike's career and want to complete their collection of his releases. Although these three tracks are of a high quality, they are essentially recordings that can be found elsewhere and, with the exception of "World Burning", in a similar setting.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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