*** Jimmie's Chicken Shack

BRING YOUR OWN STEREO

(Rocket)

Last heard peddling a wretched funk-metal hit by the name of "High" a couple years ago, Jimmie's Chicken Shack make a welcome foray into power-pop territory on their second major-label release. Tracks like "Fill In the Blank" and "Silence Again" marry grunge to new wave like grade-A Foo Fighters and Local H, and the album's first single, "Do Right," features some surprisingly smooth background vocal embellishments. Singer Jimi Haha might be overdoing it by nicking Cheap Trick lyrics for the perky "Trash," and his tales of love gone wrong occasionally veer close to Matchbox 20-style self-absorption. But the rest of the band never let Haha get stuck in a frat-house rut. In fact, they reveal an admirable versatility by pulling off everything from emo-punk ("Waiting") to swing ("Lazy Boy Dash"). The title Bring Your Own Stereo, by the way, refers to the entertainment policy at the "farm parties" the band sometimes play back home in Maryland.

-- Sean Richardson