Punk rock and roll doesn’t get much more raw, energetic, fun and swaggerific then this 2003 release from the Riverboat Gamblers. Something to Crow About contains 13 blisteringly beautiful songs clocking in at a concise 25 minutes. “Let’s Eat” gets the album going with a 16-second hors d’oeuvre of multiple vocal madness. It’s like walking into a restaurant and having the host greet you with, “Get the fuck in here -- let’s party!” or in this case, “Let’s eat!” Don’t mind if I do.

There’s nothing groundbreaking on this album, nothing that will blow your mind in any particular aspect, but hot damn does this album rock! The Gamblers’ greatest strength is their songwriting -- you’ve never met a chorus so catchy -- and the style keeps you involved. It’s easy to get bored with intro/verse/chorus/verse/chorus/outro type punk songs, but the Riverboat Gamblers keep it fresh and innovative. Ripping guitar solos not often found on these types of records only add to the dynamic sound.

My favorite thing about Something to Crow About is its earworm quality. What the hell do I mean? Thank you for asking. These hooks find their way inside your head and plant seeds. You can listen to the album today and randomly in three weeks time you may be driving to the store and the melody of “Ice Water” or “What’s What” or “Catch Your Eye” or “Rattle Me Bones” or [insert any song title from this album here] pops into your head and there’s nothing to do but put that CD in and turn it up to eleven.

If you’re a fan of To The Confusion of Our Enemies, you will love this album. If you are a fan of Underneath the Owl or The Wolf You Feed, you should love this album. Hell, if you like music and have somewhat of an open mind, and like to have fun, you should like this album. One word album review: FUN! Listen to it, and listen to it at full volume.