The Warren Brothers - "Barely Famous Hits"(BNA Records, 2005) * * *

This package of pseudo hits and a few new tracks could have been a terrible album. The Warren Brothers are perhaps best known for their show "Barely Famous" on CMT, on which the band self-depreciatingly looks at their seven year career that has nearly given them success (but not quite). It's laughable really, because they're making fun of themselves ("We're the Cato Kailins of the McGraw family!" they've said about their friendship with "truly famous" friends like Tim McGraw) which is great for TV ratings but terrible when it comes to making a mockery of their music.

I'd expected this album to sound terrible. But I was wrong. Songs like "Greyhound" and "What We Can't Have" are top country tracks by any standard, and a quick listen to their earlier material suggests this band's had all the talent they needed for years. Just not the right promotion. And "Hey, Mr. President" is the first look at George Bush through country eyes that doesn't make me want to puncture my ear drums. Written as a letter to GW, the song asks starstruck questions like "What's it like on Air Force One?" and semi-joking comments about politics ("I guess it takes a lot of pork barrels to run a government") mixed in with serious questions about the war in Iraq and our president that are truly poignant. "I cannot imagine how hard it must be to tell some soldiers mother that they died for their country," they sing. "Mr. President, do you ever feel alone? I bet you wish you could just move back home ..."

Okay, so it's not quite subtle. But considering the jingoistic nature of most country hits, the Warren Brothers succeed on this album a lot more than they miss.