The sassiness of Cowgirl Lovin’, the first proper album from Hawkesbury heroes Rough Stock, carries over from the striking cover to the elastic, energetic and always entertaining contents. The gutsy, commanding vocals of Glen Baigent anchors a confident sound driven forward by tight, committed players. Lifting the quartet out of the bar room and rodeo confines is a brace of deft and sometimes quirky original songs by bassist Stephen Perrett. The promise displayed by this cocky, kicking album will have many watching their next step.

Glenn A. Baker