Written by: Jessica Ingram

The Moonshine Bandits are a combination of hip-hop, rock and country. An odd combination of genres would be a first thought, but somehow they make it work in their new album “Calicountry.”

The band is a duo consisting of members that go by the nicknames “Tex” and “Bird.” The album is produced by a well-known country star: Colt Ford. Ford is also featured on a track.

The song lyrics cover subjects that most would consider typical of country music, such as speaking about “pontoon boat(s) and some fishing line.”

However, the music itself has more of a rock sound, mainly using strong electric guitar and heavy drums.

A track on the album that is set to be a fan favorite is “We All Country.” It features Colt Ford, American Idol finalist Sarah Ross, and Charlie Farley. It features a rap performed by Ross.

The song titled “What She Does to Me” features lyrics about the famous country stars Dwight Yoakam, Gary Allan, and Merle Haggard. The lyrics mixed with the simple drums and the variation in guitars makes it sound like they are trying a little too hard to be country.

The overall sound of the album is confusing because there are drastic differences in style from song to song.

I give the album three out of five stars.