Hank Williams III: Lovesick Broke & Driftin'

"Well, I used to think that country was out of Nashville, Tennessee / But I don't think the country's here, because they killed it, you see," Hank Williams III sings on his sophomore album, Lovesick Broke & Driftin'. The song, "Trashville," claims contemporary country music is phony, but that accusation might carry a little more weight if the "Hank 3 Movement" (as Williams dubs it in Lovesick's CD booklet) didn't open itself up to some of the same charges of prefabrication. Williams has an ancestral claim on the honky-tonks, and every aspect of his act—from his look to the catch in his voice—serves as a reminder. Of course, accusations of inauthenticity, whether from country singers or punks, devolve into meaninglessness pretty quickly. Music remains the best arbiter, and on Lovesick, Williams sounds like he's still in the process of living up to his potential. Where his debut, Risin' Outlaw, depended heavily on outside material, his latest is made up of 12 originals and a previously released cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City." Williams sounds more comfortable on that last track, which suggests he'd do well to write songs less beholden to the sacred subjects of country's past. While he scares up his share of memorable tunes, the title of "Whiskey, Weed & Women" pretty much sets the parameters for the album, with the music generally no more adventurous than the lyrics. Lovesick is enjoyable enough, but it sounds exactly as good as it has to be, and not a bit better. The Hank 3 Movement has proven itself capable of carrying on the family name, but it has yet to do anything more ambitious.