Bottle Rockets BIT LOGIC

Roughly a quarter century on from the Bottle Rockets' debut, the group's leader, vocalist, and main songwriter, Brian Henneman, sounds like an older and wiser man. And that suits him and his bandmates just fine. The tenth studio album from the BoRox, 2018's Bit Logic, may not rock as hard as they did on their 1995 breakthrough, The Brooklyn Side, but it rolls just as well, maybe even better. The attack of this music has relaxed a bit, but the feel is richly satisfying, cutting a loosely tight groove that's decisive and soulful. The guitar work from Henneman and John Horton has just enough bark to flatter the group's hard rock influences without drowning out their rootsier side, and bassist Keith Voegele and drummer Mark Ortmann push the music forward with the right amount of force and finesse; this is a band that knows how to rock, but they can ease back on the gas and still deliver solidly. And while Bit Logic doesn't feel like it was meant to be a "personal" set, Henneman's songs are