Hank Williams, Jr.
delivered one of his finest albums in 2002 with the loose-limbed, vigorous
The Almeria Club Recordings
, a record that found the veteran
outlaw
sounding more muscular than he had in years. A year later, he followed it with
I'm One of You
, a more conventional latter-day
Hank Jr.
record, one that was a little slicker, brighter, and broader. While the earthy vibe of
Almeria
is missed,
retains some of sinewy, rebellious spirit of that record beneath the glossy exterior, giving it a good gut-level punch made all the stronger by the solid set of songs he's chosen for this effort. As to be expected, there's a fair share of jokes, such as
"Liquor to Like Her"
and
"American Offline,"
but these are more nimble than their titles, as are anthemic
ballads
like the populist title track and the expert, moving
Waylon Jennings
tribute
"Waylon's Guitar,"
which is right in the vein of
"Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way."
It all adds up to a strong latter-day
record, another solid entry in the low-key artistic comeback he's had in the early 2000s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine