quality to the earthy sticks 'n' strings sound of singer-guitarist Curt Kirkwood; his brother, singer-bassist Cris Kirkwood; and drummer Derrick Bostrom that recalls John Fogerty's original country-beat concept. On Out My Way, the Meat Puppets demonstrate a wise-beyond-their-years grasp of American roots music that's fortified with bright, inventive arrangements.

Four years ago the Meat Puppets played nearly everything at breakneck punk velocity; their idea of a salute to tradition was a jokey disemboweling of "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds." The power in Out My Way's title track comes from the combination of its fiercely hypnotic groove, the catchy mantra chorus and Curt Kirkwood's clever layering of country-bop guitars, topped with snazzy rockabilly fills that would give most Nashville session aces a good scare. Even at its rather frisky pace, "Not Swimming Ground" captures the embryonic eloquence of the Puppets' songwriting (most of it by Curt Kirkwood). Fluid guitars echo a thoughtful soliloquy about past innocence and future fears, and the simple melody is capped with a brief but hopeful tag line. Slow the whole thing down by about a third, and you're a stone's throw away from "Who'll Stop the Rain."

Although it ends with a playful thrashing of "Good Golly Miss Molly," a reminder of the band's more raucous beginnings, Out My Way is a decisive step in the Meat Puppets' march away from one-dimensional punk to hearty, heartfelt pan-American rock & roll. With sounds and lyrics like these, greatness may only be one more album away. (RS 485)

DAVID FRICKE