Before I could review this album with any kind of honest objectivity, I had to get past a lot of painfully obvious surface flaws that would have made me toss any other CD into the trash like a javelin. "Okay," I said. "Just for a few minutes, forget that the Out West cover art, despite featuring the lovely ladies of Cadallaca decked out in some saucy-looking Old West digs, looks like a depressing novelty portraits your family might have taken while traveling deep in the heart of Dollywood. Oh yeah, and overlook the album's occasional, completely unnecessary "sketches" that, perplexingly enough, turn up more than once on the album are some of the most stomach-churningly awkward moments of acting ever laid onto tape."

These were all small parts of a larger problem. With all of the cheesecake pictures and lush packaging, there's something troublingly pop and pandering about Out West. At first glance, it seems to be trying too hard, like a prime cut of record label "padding," making me wonder if all of this effort to purty up the outside is just a way of covering up a shitty CD. And after opening up the jewel case to find both an alternate version of the cover photo and an in-studio "action" shot (an enduring testament to all that Cadallaca went through to record these 12 minutes of music), what cynical fan doesn't wonder if all that posin' and fancy picture takin' ain't just horseshit?

Well, after actually listening to the album, I've come to the conclusion that next time I should just shut my damn mouth and play the music. Every doubt raised by the goofy-ass acting and the over-the-top cover photos was quickly put to rest by Cadallaca's solid, intelligent rock beating my ears into a beautiful pulp. The EP's track listing is pretty standard, with the steady title track as the record's opener, with the filler ("Scarface" and "The Trouble with Public Places"), and the required mopey, introspective song ("Fake Karaoke Machine") to round everything out.

What's not standard about Out West is the quality of the music. Everything's catchy, guitar-heavy rock, with clever keyboard work adding flavor to every song. It's all stuff you've come to expect from these ladies; girls playing "boy-rock" better than boys do. And while there may be nothing especially revolutionary about it, it still makes for a damn good listen. "Out West" blends a country-rock groove with carnival organs and Cadallaca's straight-up rock to make a song that's a lot better than its Dixie Chick-ish subject matter. "Fake Karaoke Machine" wraps up the album with a nice, sour note that never turns sappy. Even the synth-happy "Scarface" and the quirky "The Trouble with Public Places" sound strong, even if they are a little less memorable.

Even though Cadallaca's throbbing rock vibe is firmly intact here, this four-song ditty still feels small, its 12-minute running time passing a little too quickly, even by EP standards. But although the songs are fairly good, the album suffers from its brevity, feeling more like the outcome of a silly day in the studio rather than a real finished product. Viewed as a stand-alone piece of work it'll seem a bit light-- maybe even disappointing to those looking for something a bit more Cadallaca-intensive. But taken in its proper context, as sort of a musical between-meal snack, it's more than enough to satisfy. And the pictures of Corin Tucker dressed as an Old West hooker are mighty fine, too.

-Steven Byrd