Having been fortunate enough to have seen Rhyne McCormick perform live in concert, I was very hopeful that his debut CD, Spin The Bottle, conveyed the same richness and heartfelt delivery as his live show does. After listening to this CD for the first of several times, I had no doubt that it does. Rhyne McCormick is the real deal.

Upon listening to the CD, I was a bit unprepared for the reality that this is, without a doubt, a rock and roll album. Having been fairly familiar with McCormick’s work, I expected more of a slower, emotional ride, and while those songs do exist on the disc, there is no doubt that Spin the Bottle is a revved record. And perhaps it is just this versatile quality that places McCormick’s music in a class of distinction. McCormick, who often performs without a band, was smart enough to realize that the best way to arrive at a world-class sounding record was to record with a world-class band. Members of The Badlees supported this effort and helped make McCormick sound like he’s been making records for years. No small accomplishment.

The CD starts out with a track called "Long Distance Lies," a tune that features bubbling guitars and a driving chorus. There is nothing flashy about the song. It is solid and sticks in your head after the first few listens. Following "Long Distance Lies" is one of my two favorite cuts on the record, "Freeport." And while none of the songs on the 10-track CD sleep, I feel that this song, Track Two, captures McCormick in a light that is most true to his acoustic show. With introspection and chord movement similar to David Bowie, "Freeport" does what so many songs never do — tell a story. With just enough organ in the background to keep it thoughtful, there is no reason why it shouldn’t find its way to WXPN in Philadelphia.

Tracks Three and Four balance the first part of this record well. While Track Three, "Rhyne of the Situation (Skip Dip)," is rather straight-ahead in its rock structure, Track Four, "Spin The Bottle," is true grits and gravy funk. As the chorus in this flagship song resolves, the band drops into a pocket the size of Texas with lots of sauce. And while such an eclectic mixture in the first half of an album may not work for some, the variation that exists on the first part of Spin the Bottle never leaves the realm of McCormick’s definitive style. Again, not a small feat.

In what is the true middle of the disc, Track Five, there exists the second of my favorite tracks, "Molly’s Kitchen." A recording that sounds much like it could be a Badlees original, the track features the local favorites performing with McCormick — and performing well — creating a carefully structured song that displays the beautiful relationship that exists between crafted words and sound arrangement. And as if the song where not strong enough, McCormick brings in East Indian sitar to simmer the mix to perfection.

As you arrive at the later songs on the album, one may sense the progression toward more driving, paced offerings. McCormick covers Dwight Yoakam’s "Fast As You Can" in a way that would make even a country boy smile. With a fiery southern guitar sound and the appropriate voice to match, McCormick makes this cover work in a very flattering manner. Track Seven, "Open Wound," is destined to be a single off of this record. It is a pull-no-punches rock tune with a very snappy hook.

As you rock through to the end of the album, take note that even when the feel gets to rock-a-billy proportions, the production never suffers — and the record never begins to sound like someone else. In the last track, "Shaker’s Cove," McCormick closes out with a light song with Van Morrison-like sensibility and displays the albums first and very lovely use of horns.

My guess is that Rhyne McCormick will be doing this for quite a long time. At any rate, he should. He is passionate and true both on stage and in the studio box. A veteran of the local stage, having played over seven hundred gigs in less than three years, McCormick is worth an evening on the town. Catch him on a stage near you.