You want to call this country? Okay. But that's missing just about everything. These songs of addiction and personal destruction are very much in the old country tradition, but Mills has created a sonic palette that is a lot more jazz and hip-hop in its construction. The minimalist settings utilize americana sounds (acoustic guitars, piano, hand claps, etc.) and Mills's voice is has dusty road seeping out all over.

Anthony Mills drankin songs of the midwest (self-released)

I've never heard anything quite like this. Mills doesn't even try to fit in to any particular conception of genre. He just does his thing and moves on. And boy, is his thing something spectacular. I love the way he uses the stripped-down sound to create intimacy. Listening to this album feels like sitting next to Mills on a barstool and having a conversation. A really twisted and depressing conversation, but there is a definite comfort in the grooves here.

Kind of the opposite of "Old Town Road." These are not pop songs. If you can imagine a Merle Haggard hip-hop album, well, you might be getting close. But these aren't hip-hop songs. They're not jazz songs. They're country songs, placed into slightly shifted settings.

No one else is doing anything like this. No. One. I suppose americana is the best way to categorize this, as Mills borrows liberally from some of the greatest American music (jazz, hip-hop, country, r&b) and has recorded a truly American album. Amazing.

Jon Worley