From the decidedly rock-n-roll Seattle label Sub Pop comes Mike Ireland and Holler, a decidedly hard- core country band. Ireland, on a mission to completely embrace the twangy tradition that he flirted with in his former alt- country band the Starkweathers, leaves his copies of No Depression at the swinging doors of the saloon.

Ireland's interpretation of the genre is traditional, yet innovative. It's introspective, it has that sad, lazy country tempo, a weepy string quartet, and dreamy pedal steel to back up all the melancholy. And it's all powered by Ireland's terrific country howl. This boy sounds like he's been singing country since the day he dropped out onto his mama's dirt floor.

Learning How To Live's opener, "House of Secrets," is such a brilliant piece of music that the rest of the record struggles to match its inspired spirit. And there's a certain sameness to the songs that slightly detracts from the overall quality. It's as if he's so excited to have found a place to hang his hat that he's vowed to never again hint at his former alt-ness. But his past rightly suggests that the man still has a tremendous amount of ground to cover, and he's got the voice and the shitkickers to ride.

-James Coyle