Grandma's Roadhouse

Riley & Gary Stewart (a.k.a. Riley) was one of those rootsy under-the-radar bands from the late-‘60s/early-‘70s country-rock movement whose recordings have aged amazingly well over the decades. Featuring Gary Stewart — who would land a solo hit five years later with 1975’s "She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)" — Grandma’s Roadhouse opens with some staged honky-tonk partying before kick-starting the title track. Sounding like a lost Levon Helm boogie-rock number, it’s easy to understand why this album was reissued 40 years after its inception (not to mention that the original pressing only yielded 500 vinyl copies). Singer Riley Watkins inflects with believable bumpkin charm, especially on the wistfully romantic ballad “Love, Love You Lady” and the more twang-rocking “Funky Tar Paper Shack,” both of which boast some exceptional close-harmonies throughout. The three outtakes at the end are album-worthy, most notably the heavily reverberated biker blues of “Cows & Dogs, Ducks & Hogs” and the Allman Brothers-esque “Gotta Get Away.”