Okay, these guys are cool.  Top-notch rockin' Americana backwoods rockabilly, or, as the case may be here, "rockajack" (apparently, the definition of "hilljack" is a rural gentleman who believes himself a notch above the hillbilly).  Startin' out hot and hard with "This Could Get Good," it's a fevered, rollicking, good-time CD with some solid, kick-ass guitar playing, terrific vocals, and plain all around good playing.

Musicians Paul Jefferson (acoustic and vocals), Porter Howell (electric guitar and vocals), Jon Putnam (bass), and John Riffe (drums and vocals) punch it out with some cool, clever lyrics and taut, rockin' melodies.  What makes 'em country?  Their sound is definitely on the rockin' side, but their heart and soul is backwoods, with heartfelt themes woven into every well-written song (every one an original).  In fact, it's actually hard to believe that today's Nashville could produce a band this cool, and this country. 

There's not a weak track on this disc.  Every song shines on its own, each one a unique individual, and yet still they're woven together to make a pretty solid whole.  What else can you say? These guys got it.  There's a sound here that can touch the heart and touch the funnybone, too.  I give them special props for including the Wayne's World word "schwing" in a country song, not to mention all of "Love Sux."  Humor runs rampant in "I Kissed Miss Mississippi," "Not Susan," and "Throw Down Hoe-Down," while the heart is deeply touched by songs like "The Day Katherine Gregory Died," while every cowboy (on the range or off) can feel "Stand Up" in the very marrow of their bones.  "You Still Think About Me" plays loose and fast with both style and lyrics, fun song with a sharp refrain.

One tiny peeve, though.  What is the deal lately with people needing their name in lower case?  It's kinda on the pretentious side.  Hilljack has a really cool logo, but it doesn't have to translate to a lower case regular spelling just to keep the trademark, any more than you have to write "Yahoo" with the exclamation point.  I recently reviewed another artist who does this, and I'll say the same thing here -- if it's at the beginning of a sentence, it should be upper case, just as when you start a sentence with "the."  But I'll let it go, 'cause, as with the other guy, it's good music, and that should be all that matters.  Heck, it is all that matters.  Listen to 'em and have a good time.  Even insane grammarians don't care how it's spelled as long as it sounds good.

Last word:  These guys should start showing up as a big name in Americana.  Hot playing, great singing, funny and clever lyrics -- can't beat it, all around.

Standout tracks:  "The Day Katherine Gregory Died," "Stand Up," "Bigger Than Dallas," "Dead Gone," "Not Susan," "In California," "Throw Down Hoe-Down"

On the net:  http://www.hilljack.com/