If you have eyes, you'll notice something about the page in which we interview Rhett Miller about the new Old 97's record, Blame It On Gravity in this week's paper. Like, specifically, how we included a sidebar review of Murry Hammond's I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm On My Way.

Wasn't 'cause we didn't have space in our "Playlist" section (we did). And it wasn't just 'cause Murry's in the 97's (although, obviously, he is; he plays bass and adds vocals). We did so because--how do I put this?--well, we liked his new record more than the we did 97's' new one...and I say "we" because that's not just me talking; that's pretty much the whole music staff here.

The 97's' record is...OK. It's got a few decent tracks on it, most of which I highlighted in the article. But it's just not what we'd hoped for. It's not very rocking. It's not very sexy. In a nutshell: It's not as good as the 97's' past works.

Hammond's disc, meanwhile, has taken us completely by surprise. Yes, it focuses on God a lot, and, yes, there's a lot of songs about trains on the disc, too. But it's just a really, really good record. See for yourself.

Bonus mp3: Murry Hammond -- "Lost At Sea"

The track kills, folks. --Pete Freedman