Montgomery Gentry were pumping out bro-country sounds and themes years before it became the dominant sound in contemporary country music. On "Folks Like Us," the duo of Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry add muscle to their musical arrangements, thanks to hot producer Michael Knox. But lyrically they stay focused on small towns, religion, patriotism and partying on dirt roads - albeit from a more grown-up point of view.
The album opens with "We Were Here," a song about mature men looking back at the mark they left on their hometown. That casts the tone for "Folks Like Us," which focuses on reflective songs ("Two Old Friends," ''That's Just Living") about middle-aged men assessing their lives.
Montgomery Gentry still rock a couple of party tunes, as in "Headlights," which inventively sets electric guitar riffs against a repeating banjo figure, and the moody "Back On A Dirt Road," which pits a swampy arrangement against Montgomery's menacing tone.
The younger bro-country rockers who picked up Montgomery Gentry's style may have pushed the duo off the radio charts, but the longtime Kentucky partners prove they can match the young bucks when it comes to songs packed with attitude and personality.
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