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Written by Mike Rengel Friday, 10 October 2008 14:24

It's the one song here that might beg you to roll down the car windows on a night drive.

Katy Mae wastes no time in belting out a heady fusion of boogie rock, '70s west coast country rock and Allman Brothers stomp. Opening track "Two Dollars Late" would go over spectacularly in a corner bar on a lonely Thursday night, bottle of cheap beer in hand. "Falls Down" defiantly follows it up with a foot-tapping riff fest that might make you want to ask the bartender for a shot of whiskey to raise the stakes. Strains of Counting Crows' Adam Duritz continuously and invitingly surface in Philip Doucet‘s voice, dive back beneath the riffs, then reemerge on the other side

Final track "Let Me Bring You Down" hits harder than anything else on the disc, ending on its most powerful, immediate note. It's infused with a speedy urgency and is far more visceral than the fatiguing, mid-tempo "best of Southern rock" vibe that permeates the disc's midsection. It's the one song here that might beg you to roll down the car windows on a night drive, sing along at the top of your lungs, and accidentally end up going 20 miles over the speed limit.

The most frustrating aspect of You May Already Be a Winner is the flipside of its most promising feature: Parts of the EP drag and simply make me wish it would end already. But there's also no shortage of melodic, rhythmic moments that certainly leave me wanting more. B | Mike Rengel

RIYL: Drive-By Truckers, not the worst aspects of the Eagles, Counting Crows when they up the tempo, Southern rock bar bands