Being an obnoxious Texan, it’s often easy to assume that the majority of bands who know how to produce some seriously rockin’ country music reside within the boundaries of my great state. That’s as untrue as it is untrue, I admit. There are many guitar slingin’ outlaws that know how to cry in their beer right before throwing it at the head of another in a bar fight that they are likely to not remember the next day. Jacksonville Gainesville, Florida’s The Takers are a great example of what I am talking about here.

The Takers’ album, Taker Easy (Suburban Home), is an absolute force that doesn’t have one skip-worthy track on the entire record. Since I can’t seem to help myself, I will say that many might recognize that the burly southern-drawl in the vocals of Devon Stuart are strikingly similar to Texan Jesse Dayton’s. The subject matter of the songs is as simple as it is real. Tales of drinkin’, lovin’ and losin’ are delivered with a forceful sincerity. The song below, “Curse of a Drunk” is my favorite off of the album and displays the sorrow that is associated with those themes rather well. The labels of “Country Rock” or “Rockin’ Country” don’t really provide justice to The Takers’ brand of swagger, as I think these guys fit quite well into the “Country with Muscle” category that I discussed a while back. Of course, I cant help but think that The Takers would be stars of the scene if they were based in Austin or Dallas. I just cant help myself.

The Takers – “Curse of a Drunk”