You might expect one of two things out of a band called Potatomen: a ho-dunk bunch of farmers from Idaho, plucking away on banjos with strings made of hay straw and a monotone beat on a drum shaped like a potato, or a bunch of hippies playing psychedelic jam music who mistakenly named their outfit Potatomen after a few too many munches on another ground-grown veggie.

These Potatomen actually fall somewhere in the middle, carrying a slight Johnny Cash twang and an added '60s pep, like the Beach Boys or Tommy James and the Shondells.

The opening tracks on Now, Won't You Be and That Girl have that upbeat, California style, which is no surprise once you learn that this quartet hails from Berkeley. And tracks like Jimmy Was a Cowboy and The Train Song have the racy, honky-tonk beat of some of the best of Cash, like "Ring of Fire."

Then there are some slower, more modern tracks like On the Avenue, where frontman Larry Livermore's vocals remind me of Robbie Grey's mysterious charm in the Modern English hit "I Melt With You."

One thorough listen of this twelve-track album and you'll be able to hear all of the foursome's key influences -- from the aforementioned Johnny Cash, to king of the rat pack Frank Sinatra, rounded all the way out to the glamorous rocker David Bowie. They've brought a little bit of Top 40 from every decade up 'til Now.

Additional Tracks:
Davey
Punk Rock Boy