Fly Me Courageous (1991)

Drivin' N' Cryin' are a Southern rock band torn between influences. On the one hand, flowery and passive mid-tempo songs like ''Around the Block Again'' recall the '80s-era neopsychedelia of R.E.M., while the power chords and good ol' boy beats of ''Chain Reaction'' and the title track of Fly Me Courageous pay homage to '70s-style guitar bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd. The only problem is that Drivin' N' Cryin' aren't weird enough to pull off the sensitive-artist shtick perfected by R.E.M., and they don't have the chops to compete with beer-and-barf bands like Skynyrd. Presumably, the idea was to come off as unassuming roots rockers, but Drivin' N' Cryin' are merely nondescript. Stabs at pop (''Together'') and last-ditch efforts to dazzle (''Rush Hour'') are too little, too late, but even so, their impulse to integrate influences rather than pick a niche is refreshing.