*** Jason & the Scorchers

MIDNIGHT ROADS & STAGES SEEN

(Mammoth)

Ten years ago Jason & the Scorchers sounded like an unholy cross of Hank Williams and the Ramones. Now reunited and doing pretty much the same thing, they sound like nothing more or less than a damn fine, somewhat old-fashioned rock-and-roll band. I happened to be at one of the Nashville shows that was recorded for this two-CD live album, and the band's legendary status before a hometown audience was obvious. Even so, it wasn't the best Scorchers show I'd seen: the band thanked everybody they'd ever worked with, took uncharacteristically long breaks between songs, and included an okay but anticlimactic acoustic set.

Some of that sentimental side comes through on this two-disc set (the 12-step anthem "Somewhere Within" probably worked better as therapy than as a song). Fortunately, what also comes through is the firepower they've never quite channeled into the studio. The grown-up acoustic numbers are fine, but the hopped-up honky-tonkers are what the Scorchers do best. Each disc kicks off with a long string of barnstormers, and new numbers like "Self-Sabotage" and "200 Proof Lovin' " stand proud alongside oldies. The set also gets a few of their better live covers on disc -- versions of Jimmie Rodgers's "Last Blue Yodel" and Rufus Thomas's "Walking the Dog" (sung by guitarist Warner Hodges's mom) show that the Scorchers' hearts are still in a few of the right places at once.

-- Brett Milano