Twang is back. And it’s a good thing. Better yet, it’s brought to us by a group of musicians who clearly know the purpose of their music—to reveal the multiple perspectives on life as lived by just about everyone who ever turned to a country song for affirmation.

John Surge and the Haymakers are a working band. Therefore they a little spend time in nightspots and observe a lot. It all finds its way into their songs, into their voices, into their playing, and thanks to this album, back into the audiences. It’s just as much about the making the listener want to get up and move to the music as it is the music itself. In both cases, Almost Time succeeds.