**1/2 TINY TOWN

(Pioneer Music Group)

Tiny Town have been called a roots-rock supergroup, though to the extent that the tag implies a pedigree distinguished by commercial triumph, it's a misnomer for sure. Tiny Towner Pat McLaughlin has logged years as one of the country's most overlooked talents, most recently with 1994's criminally neglected Unglued. The band, and the album, are what developed when the Nashville-based McLaughlin took to jamming with two former members of New Orleans's long-running Subdudes, bassist Johnny Ray Allen and guitarist Tommy Malone, and drummer-about-town Kenneth Blevins, formerly of John Hiatt's Goners.

All four share songwriting credits on Tiny Town, an affable disc with a grab bag of soul stylings and percolating rhythms that span the Stax-inspired strut of "Hollywood," the blue-eyed stroll of "Baby Ain't Got No Home," and the hard-edged funk of "Straight Up." Few of the tracks stand out, and in truth McLaughlin, who shares vocal duties with Malone, is capable of much more (the vocal-burying mix is also culpable). But Tiny Town has a breezy camaraderie that makes for a likable-enough listen and bodes well for this Saturday's live show.

-- Chris Erikson