How many bands are there? Surely the figure is well into the thousands. And how many original songs? That sum would be the number of bands squared, at least. How many debut discs each year? Hundreds and hundreds, if the volume of our mail is any indication. How many of those debut discs are as impressive as "Bottoms Up" (Gut Records) by the Bellyachers? Very few indeed. When it comes to the Bellyachers, there's little to complain about. The two-year-old Oakland, Calif., honky-tonk quartet is fronted by bassist and singer Sandra Mello, who would seem to have her act together. Featuring singer-guitarist Melody Baldwin-Baroz, guitarist Jon Stern and Sandra's husband, Brian Mello, on drums, Sandra Mello's lively songs make an immediate impact and give new hope to those who worry about the fate of traditional country music. Mello's voice falls somewhere between Paulette Carlson (when she was in the group Highway 101) and alt-country heroine Kelly Willis; the tight harmonies with Baldwin-Baroz create a lush layer of sound on slower tunes such as "You Are My Friend" and the soaring "Lela," and add zest to the poppier numbers, including the title tune, which opens the disc and features a big galloping tremolo guitar solo by Stern. The lyrics tend to be about lovin', cheatin' and drivin' (the catchy "Lone Trucker"); the soul-searching sentiments are clearly expressed without simplistic moon/June rhymes. And there's Fender guitar twang to burn: While a lot of bands would put a rock-solid song such as "Big Talking Man" up front to show off its chops, the Bellyachers save it for last, implying that there's more honky-tonk fun to come on future discs. Here's hoping that's true.

Buzz McClain | The Washington Post | Sunday, February 25, 2001