Southern Culture on the Skids

If there’s such a thing as the musical equivalent of a big slab of greasy barbecued ribs dripping with sauce that’s the perfect combination of hot, tangy and sweet, Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids is the guy who cooks it up to a T. Mojo Box is piled with songs guaranteed to liven up any social gathering, whether you’re just hangin’ out on the porch sippin’ sweet tea and shootin’ the breeze or tryin’ to get the party off its ass and onto the dance floor. The title tune rides a mid-tone guitar riff that’ll vibrate your wig if you listen to it on headphones, and bassist Mary Huff’s vocal on “The Fire of Love” could cause a conflagration if the wrong two people in the right mood got caught up in its sultry passion. Similarly, Miller’s evocation of a “Swamp Fox [in a halter top]” is a celebration of lascivious possibilities. This album deserves to be on every jukebox in town.