Star Hustler

What do you get if you buy Songs for Betty, the fourth album by recording company Dirt Record's band Star Hustler? Well, aside from a record dedicated to lead singer Jason Hatfield's somewhat famous sister Juliana Hatfield's dog, you get a fairly mediocre alt-country album. Juliana sings harmony vocals on the tracks "Speechless" and "Favorite Song," a homage to music everywhere.\nThat isn't to say that Songs is completely without redemption, though. The sixth track, "Dogs," lyrically is reminiscent of the Wallflowers. In fact, the song, about an imprisoned son sending a letter to beg forgiveness of his mother for killing her lover, stands out among many of the other tracks on the album, in that it's not hard to listen to all the way through.\nThe Boston band also took a Dwight Yoakam song, "It Won't Hurt," and turned it into something nearly worth listening to. That in itself is an astronomical accomplishment.\nThe band is clearly influenced by earlier alt-country band Uncle Tupelo, which broke up in 1993 to form two bands, Wilco and Son Volt. Star Hustler has more of a Son Volt sound, which leans toward the country-based and twangy, only Hustler's music is, for the most part, more subdued than Son Volt's. This is a sound that succeeds on tracks like the love song "Stargazing Lily," yet becomes too much the staple sound of the album, and, after prolonged listening, grows tiresome.\nIt is a good album to listen to once or twice, but don't expect any infectious pop melodies. These aren't songs you really want to drive to on your way to Florida for spring break; these are better to have playing under your conversations at three in the morning. Basically, if it comes to a choice between buying Star Hustler's Songs for Betty or 20 tubes of lip balm, well, you never know when you might need a little extra lip balm.