Still in the Pink

The Ghettobillies hold such a pure allegiance to booze, smut, and toilet humor that it seems almost unpatriotic to dismiss them as a novelty act. Like precocious fourth-graders who pontificate on global economics in between lighting each other's farts, they remain hopelessly juvenile, deviously eloquent, and passionate about their filth. They were the schoolyard bullies who would never lay a finger on you, but send you home in tears with your hand glued to your lunchbox and a backpack full of used toilet paper. Their third full-length, Still in the Pink, opens with "Hiding Out," a positive, hook-laden power pop gem that elevates the band above its comedy rock trappings and redefines the term "radio-ready." The Reverend C. Cobb, Pope D Licious, Tasty Pastor J, Holy Maloney, and Lord Bon Bons -- who replaced the Pastor midway through the record -- attack each song, no matter how inane, with an unguarded passion that is the result of nearly a decade of relentless touring, Midwest heart, and industry tenacity. The hormonal energy that ripples through tracks like "Dirty Hippies" and "Best Friend" bristles with the nihilistic intensity that fuels their marathon live shows, once again bringing to light the group's oft-ignored instrumental and vocal prowess. Like Ween, the Billies are obviously capable of producing a serious masterpiece, and their refusal to submit is a big part of their charm. While the easily offended and righteous will turn their heads in disgust, the band's followers will revel in the record's juicy debauchery, leaving no mixed drink un-tried, no condom machine un-emptied, and no ass un-rocked, proving once and for all that the "Ghettobillie Nation" is alive and well.