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Rodney Parker & The Fifty Peso Reward --- intriguing, if awkward name, that --- have just released their second (well, Parker’s second) CD, The Lonesome Dirge. Parker and the Reward, from Denton, TX, have an interesting sound which they infuse with vivid lyrical imagery and driving guitars, merging an urban rock sound with country undertones.

Let’s talk about the cover tunes first. There are two of them --- Atlantic City by Bruce Springsteen and Wild Man From Borneo by Kinky Freedman. Covering these tunes is a dicey proposition, one just as likely fraught with failure as success. Here, the band does the near-impossible, taking two tunes known primarily as acoustic numbers and turning them into defiant rock tracks that all but make you forget about the originals. What will raise eyebrows here is that the band’s original compositions, particularly the haunting Ghost and A Knife Beneath Your Pillow, do not suffer at all by comparison. Ghost, in particular, which is sandwiched in between the two covers, is an unforgettable track, combining stark vision with strong hooks to make it a standout track. And while there is no one track titled The Lonesome Dirge, I’m Never Getting Married could easily fit the bill, a waltz that will have all the men in the audience hoisting a glass and singing along in a full-throated roar. Tell Me What It Is, a line from which The Lonesome Dirge gets its name, is, on the other hand, a medium paced rocker which slows down to a crawl at the end, reminiscent of Springsteen in his E-Street Shuffle days, lyrically, if not musically.

The Lonesome Dirge closes with 11 Hours, a quiet, dark ballad of sadness and loss, a stark contrast to what has gone before. One gets the feeling that there is a woman somewhere who listens to that song constantly with a sense of loss and regret. It makes for a disturbing but memorable ending to a disc that will have you changing favorites over the course of repeated listening.