Jackson Free Press

Country music is a difficult genre of music to appraise. Most songs sound startlingly common, with similar or identical subjects and not much difference in how they're discussed. The easiest variation to quantify is which generation of country the artist claims: There's old-school Hank Williams, '90s-era Brooks & Dunn or modern, pop-tinged Taylor Swift. With its first album, "Front Porch Confessions," Truck Patch Revival of Cleveland, Miss., hopes to wrangle a bit of each.

By design, the band's seven-song debut is purely a Mississippi product. Truck Patch Revival began in the Christian-music market as the Frank Caswell Band. When Caswell decided to make the jump to the secular scene, he and lead guitarist Brian Sherwood holed up to write, digging into traditional and current influences and sharing their experiences of growing up in the Delta. Once their band mates, bassist Horace Willis, guitarist Patrick Ballard and drummer Chris Black, gave the new material their seals of approval, they hired producer Clayton Gregory, a Delta State University graduate, and entered the studio at the school's Delta Music Institute.

I'm not a fan of modern country music. I find the lyrics consistently superficial, and the songwriting rarely steps outside the expected. Truck Patch Revival often floats in that same pontoon boat. In the opening track, "Southern Summer," the instrumentation is familiar despite a catchy lead-guitar riff. As far as lyrical content goes, the title says everything you need to know, which is a common thread throughout the album. Expect to hear about going to bodies of water and slow dancing more than a few times.

Two saving graces raise "Front Porch Confessions" above what could be a forgettable fare: Caswell's confident vocals and the band's "less is more" sensibilities.

Through energetic roots-rock tracks such as "Stompin' Grounds" and slower songs like "One Star Delta Night" and "Loves Me Loves Me Not," Caswell commits wholly to each line and delivers it well, even if the material isn't always on par with the band's skill. His voice is an easy match for some of country's current stars.

To Truck Patch Revival's credit, the musicians clearly know their place within each song. The genre isn't as band-focused as rock music, but it also doesn't completely take a backseat. Willis, Ballard, Black and Sherwood provide a strong foundation without overplaying, a tendency with younger bands. The penultimate track, "All I Need," features heavy lead guitar in the chorus, which, more often than not, can be a nightmare for the singer. But instead of a show-stealing solo, Sherwood adds tasteful, sparing highs and bides his time until the spotlight hits.

Unfortunately, there is one damaging element to Truck Patch Revival's otherwise successful first outing that rears its head on a few occasions. The production quality in "Front Porch Confessions" is uneven, which is likely due to rushed recording from Gregory, who was living in Birmingham, Ala., at the time. The critical ear will find a handful of imperfections, but the real issue is simply its inconsistency. In the final song, "Stompin' Ground," guitars are full and blended well, while in others, such as "Dixie Girl" and "Good Old Days," some instruments sound isolated and a bit flat. Time limitations will always exist, which I've heard even more obviously in other artists' releases, but it is disheartening to see some of Truck Patch Revival's best work falter without easy fixes.

While mostly passive lyrics and occasional recording missteps mean listeners won't find much art form in "Front Porch Confessions," it's worth stating that this is the band's first incursion into country music territory. The album is proof that the band has plenty of talent in its ranks. With some time to further develop a sound and style of its own, Truck Patch Revival will be playing bigger stages than a front porch in no time.

Truck Patch Revival performs at 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27, at Reed Pierce's Bar & Grill (6791 S. Siwell Road, Byram, 601-376-0777). Visit truckpatchrevival.com.