Country Hymn is the band’s third and most cohesive album, complementing the stylistic variety of We Can Do Anything and the novelty humor of Power to My Friends . It was recorded, mixed, and produced by John Miller (Secret Stash Records) and mastered by Bruce Templeton (Microphonic Mastering). The recording’s twelve tracks include the dark, old-timey opening ballad, “Betty on the Road” (track 1), the jaded academic’s honkytonk waltz “Old Country” (track 3), a Tom Petty-esque rocker about aging called “Fading Flower” (track 4), a touching country/folk number with a string arrangement, “Staying Around” (track 5), and the powerful Tom Waits-like title track that was composed in a dream (track 11). The album also includes two covers: Bob Dylan’s “Odds and Ends” (track 2), sacrilegiously including an original bridge (!), and a wild cowpunk rendition of the Sweet’s “Blockbuster!” (track 12) as a bonus track. Start the album at the beginning and play it straight through—you won’t regret it.