Geezinslaws, Neil Kaiser & the Boxcar Angels, Mike Runnels, and the Double Eagle String Band

God love the Geezinslaws. They're corny and cranky as ever on The Eclectic Horsemen, and Sammy Allred navigating Robert Plant's hedgerows (after Willie Nelson takes a turn, no less) on "Stairway to Heaven" is a whole new kind of funny. "I Gave Her My Ring" is paired with, of course, "she gave me the finger," "My Way" is even more trailer-park than Elvis' version, and Robert Earl Keen's "Copenhagen" is right on the Manchaca money. Or lack thereof. Broke and broke down, by life, women, the president, and all the other usual suspects (but mostly women), Neil Kaiser & the Boxcar Angels' Guess You Heard is heavy with regret and resignation. Kaiser beats back depression with wordplay that's disarming even at its most downhearted, as on "Sad Old Clock" and "I Hate My 80s Girl." Alvin Crow's trustworthy fiddle fills out the bare-bones production, and blood-soaked ballad "Goodbye Elena" is remorseful without being maudlin, a real achievement considering its Deadwood-like body count. Mike Runnels, onetime vocalist with Raul's-era rockers the Reactors, has traded in his ripped T-shirt for a string tie on the assured One More Time. Up-tempo honky-tonk that benefits greatly from the presence of top hands like Herb Steiner, Andrew Nafziger, and especially Ron Flynt, who plays everything but the ponies, One More Time spins 10 two-steppers and belly-rubbers around the dance floor without a bad one in the bunch. Runnels, meanwhile, divides his time between falling in love anew and wondering why he would ever do such a thing, with the odd secret affair thrown in to keep the cycle going. The Double Eagle String Band turns back the clock even further on Who's Goin' Down to Town, a solid hour of good old-time string-band music, including several Carter Family tunes and lively regional favorites like "Leather Breeches" and "Bonaparte's Retreat." It even includes appropriate fiddle tunings for those inclined to saw along at home.