Continental Drifters Better Day Lyrics

The third release by this alternative folk-rock "supergroup" is its most focused. That's surprising given that the band expertly drifts between numerous Americana musical styles, including country twang (Vicki Peterson's "That Much a Fool"), Sir Douglas Quintet-like Tex-Mex, and good old garage rock, often backed with the same type of classic pop harmonies found in the Bangles, the dB's, and the Cowsills--that is, the bands in which the key members here cut their teeth. Better Day rocks more than 1999's Vermilion did--and while it's not Rumours-like in scope (thank God), the dissolution of the marriage of cofounders Susan Cowsill and Peter Holsapple is both humorously and compassionately addressed in the bookends "(Down by the) Great Mistake" and "Peaceful Waking." In addition to great songs by five different composers, the mix of horns, accordions, swirling organs, mandolins, and of course, guitars, are simply awe-inspiring, representing both a New Orleans ethos as well as the Los Angeles the Drifters left behind in the early '90s. --Bill Holdship