Freak the Jones

Is there anything more five-minutes-ago than a concept album about the frustrations of being a rock band on the road?

Well, no. But Freak The Jones ("Atlanta's premier power trio," the group boasts on its website) thankfully delivers this played-out scenario with the sort of rock 'em, sock 'em sucker punch that makes their third release an enjoyable slice of trashy funk-rocking.

Taking musical cues from "Are You Gonna Go My Way"-era Lenny Kravitz, the band charges through its originals with muscular chops, sinewy enthusiasm and memorable hooks. The four-song salvo that kicks off the album shows just how tight these freaks can be. Ira "Ra" Camp's wah-wah-heavy guitar punctuates the rhythm section's snappy backbeat while singer Buddha Hernandez spits out lines like, "Gonna sing that same old song/gotta make it tight/But I miss my baby/I'm comin' home tonight," with so much gusto you can almost forgive the half-baked cliches.

Almost. An ill-advised cover of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar" is a note-for-note reminder that this ground has been covered before by better bands. On the title track, FTJ implores listeners to feel the pain of having to "eat shitty meals and listen to the wheels go round," closing the album on a sappy note.

Still, most listeners shouldn't mind checking into the Freak The Jones motel — so long as they stop whining. Freak The Jones plays a CD release party at the Cotton Club Fri., Aug. 16.