New Riders of the Purple Sage – Who Are Those Guys? [1977; MCA Records]

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Easy-going humor and twangs both vocal and stringed fill this album, the eighth studio LP by the NRPS, with stoner-baked treatment of honky-tonk across ten tracks.  Originals and covers (including Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue”) mingle freely, and while solid technique is shown in the playing, the band rarely pushes itself out of their relaxed comfort zone.  Combined with a run-time of just under half an hour, the album ends up feeling inconsequential, and though the musicians seem to relish the country-fried cornbread flavoring, it’s otherwise pleasant enough for its short duration.