New Disc By V-Roys Full Of Energy, Enthusiasm

``Just Add Ice,''
The V-Roys, (E-Squared)

Thank goodness for the V-Roys.

The Knoxville band's debut album, ``Just Add Ice,'' the first non-Steve Earle album on Earle's new E-Squared Records, bursts with an energy and enthusiasm that's been missing too long in modern music.

At first listen, ``Just Add Ice'' is nearly too easy to digest. Flowing from one hook-laden number to the next, the album melts away 40 minutes, enticing you play it again.

From the disc's opener, the nervy ``Guess I Know I'm Right,'' the V-Roys smoke with catchy roots rock 'n' roll.

The V-Roys seem to be steeped in the music of Memphis' Sun Studios, the Beatles, Hank Williams, the blues, the Everly Brothers, Eddie Cochran, the Rolling Stones, '60s rock and '70s power pop.

However, like most great bands, it's impossible to really put a finger on any single direct influence. The V-Roys sound as if they've simply sprung from the dirt, nourished by all those predecessors.

Producers Steve Earle and Ray Kennedy keep the guitars crisp and bright. And, the drums (played by Jeff Bills) and bass (played by Paxton Sellers) are upfront enough to give you little choice but to tap your feet or bounce your head. Scott Miller and Mike Harrison, the band's lead singers, songwriters and guitarists, trade and blend vocals with ease but retain distinctive personalities.

Totally untrendy and unpretentious, the songs tackle nothing more than relationships and romance. On ``No Regrets,'' Harrison tells his cheating girlfriend he'll forget about her by the time he crushes out his cigarette. On ``Cry,'' a frantic-sounding Miller warns a guy he'd better treat his girlfriend better -- and, of course, by the end of the song she and the singer have gone off together.

On ``Sooner or Later,'' possibly the most infectious number of the bunch, Harrison tells the girl that he's lovesick for ``sooner or later I'll figure you out,'' appending himself a few seconds later to admit ``sooner or later I'll get off my knees.''

That isn't to say that the songs lack depth. It's just that the V-Roys are smart enough to know that the best pop, rock and country songs are generally the simplest. Hank Williams didn't need much of a vocabulary to break your heart, and neither do the V-Roys.

There are few modern songs as modest and effective as Miller's ``Lie I Believe,'' an unflinchingly sad take on love and dependence in which the singer knows his lover is cheating on him but accepts whatever lie she tells him:

``If you stand naked, the mirror won't lie.

But it has to be filtered through the wish of an eye.

And all that I needed was your reflection of me.

You said I was someone, it's a lie I believe.''

``Just Add Ice'' abounds with good lyrics and memorable tunes. And the disc's closer, ``Cold Beer Hello'' (which is nearly treated like a throwaway), is the best drinking song in a decade. And, it contains the scariest guitar solo i recent memory.

The V-Roys are a vice worth becoming addicted to. (``Just Add Ice'' will be released on Tuesday, Sept. 10.)

Grade: A

Wayne Bledsoe is a music writer with The News-Sentinel. Bledsoe's column is also available on the Web at http://knoxnews.com/rest.html.