Despite the sardonic album title, Gabe Lee’s Honky Tonk Hell is full of rough-around-the-edges country songs that you’d love to hear come on any bar’s jukebox. But it’s got a helluva lot of soul too. “Emmylou” starts off as a heartbreak tune and ends up at an accurate portrayal of depression. “Babylon” sees Lee channeling Dylan by way of the War on Drugs, capturing the bittersweet triumph of getting sober and growing up. And while Lee’s got the balls to directly call out “phony-ass country songs” made in his hometown of Nashville, it’s not completely necessary — the music does all the talking for him. —C.S. Rolling Stone Australia