Out 'n' About, Nov. 29 - Dec 13, 1996 Asheville, N.C.

You know the "V" section in the record bins? Of course you don't, unless Van Halen and the Village People are high on your list. Well, now you have a reason to pay attention to that tiny section between the much larger "T" and "W" sections. ("U" is generally pretty vacant, too.) Check out the V-Roys real soon.

These guys do a basic rock style that Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, and the rest of the old Rockpile gang would love. This is roots rock that could easily come out of that sixties aura the band's cover work indicates they find comfortable. This is the ultimate sixties' rock band, full of the same kind of jubilant energy that was really the key to the Beatles' success.

They hit straight-ahead rock, fifties' slow-dance ballads, and even a touch of rockabilly in the process of putting together a dozen of the catchiest rock songs to surface in some time. The V-Roys are not overly-polished; their vocals retain a touch of casual lack of concern for perfection, and their harmonies are totally pleasing without striving for Everly Brothers' synchronization. The V-Roys are also not too raw; they play their parts straight, avoiding chaos while still tapping into all the immediate energy rock can provide.

In fact, if you took all your favorite basic rock groups edited out the little idiosyncrasies that made them unique but still irritated you, you'd be pretty close to the V-Roys. Not a ton of people know about Jim Lauderdale, but those who do know that he writes great songs by tapping into all the areas that surround basic rock and finding a melody that just won't let go.

The V-Roys are to rock groups what Jim Lauderdale is to singer/songwriters. They find these great melodies right in the center of the same type of rock the Beatles flew in with in the sixties and then they dig around the edges to keep everything from becoming too predictable. (The Beatles did that, too: Carl Perkins on one end, the Four Freshmen on the other.) They harmonize when it's right for the melody, but they a. just as content to let a lead vocalist carry the song on his own. They might rip off a full-bodied series of guitar chords or they may let everything hang on a single-note guitar line.

It doesn't seem to matter to them what they do as long as the it's what sounds best on the song. Translate that to mean that the V-Roys aren't some trendy little outfit hoping to ride the current wave of retro-rock, surf music, or lounge sounds. Their's is a mission find the same joy in playing that has always made the best rock memorable, and rest assured the V-Roys music is memorable.

Steve Earle produced Just Add Ice, and those who want to will be able to find his influence in some of the songs. It's not a Steve Earle album, however, but it does have Earle's ability to keep things just raw enough to insure authentic energy, and that comes through loud and clear.

The only flaw on Just Add Ice is the final cut, a one-take acoustic country song about beer, and it simply takes away from the originality of the other compositions. It's the kind of song Steve Earle would slide onto one of his recordings, and while it may be a part of the V-Roys' songbook it's too much an after-hours song that doesn't fit the energy of the other prime-numbers.

Beyond that, though, everything about lust Add Ice is top-notch, first-class, mustplay-it-again-and-again-Sam stuff. Fun stuff. Sing-along-with-stuff. The-party-can-get-going-now-stuff. Just add Just Add Ice to your collection and see how many times you pull it out to play. All of a sudden the "V" section of your collection will have a real life, if you even had a "V" section. In fact, to make life record stores should just label their section "V-Roys" and save everyone a lot of trouble. Get it, get it, get it!

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