Confederate Railroad (1992)

Don't be put off by their tacky name. Confederate Railroad is a long-overdue dose of good humor, vivid writing, and grungy blues chords — Southern outlaw music for the '90s. Shaggy- haired, slack-assed boys who affect a '70s biker look, this band is into send-ups of all kinds: jilted lovers who go on Oprah and advertise for the SOB who left them pissed and pregnant (''Long Gone''), women who beat the hell out of ex-boyfriends (''She Took It Like a Man''), and potential mates who fail the sensitivity test because they didn't sob when Old Yeller died (''She Never Cried''). There's also the kind of paralyzing depression worthy of Hank Williams (''You Don't Know What It's Like''), and enough twangy, rangy boogie to keep your foot in perpetual motion. Confederate Railroad will never win any taste awards, but so what. We all scratch our underbellies now and then. B