J. Roddy Walston

J. Roddy Walston & the Business are great alt-country rock/folksters. The group releases "Essential Tremors" next week. Check out the album preview today on Rolling Stone.

The record is packed with the band's trademark riotous, ragged rock, always accented by Walston's thundering piano and striking vocals: Opener "Marigold" is a gritty, twisted boogie about a trust-fund kid with a drug problem and a few uncertainties about his gender orientation, while "Sweat Shock" is a relentless, pulsating rocker sure to inspire bouts of sanctified spazzing. The band shows off their more poignant side on the gorgeous "Boys Can Never Tell," laced with pining steel guitar. A few cuts later, they pair that same vulnerability with a rousing rock & roll groove on "Tear Jerk." The LP closes with the bounding "Midnight Cry," which builds to a boisterous conclusion before tapering off into sweet, shimmering "ahhs."