Grand National

The pigeonholes that exist have long been a bad fit for John Butler anyway. Roots band, protest band, jam band, groove band . . . these labels may or may not have applied in the past, but the John Butler Trio of 2007 has come too far and seen too much to sit in anybody else's niche. "GRAND NATIONAL" is more about love than injustice, more about ass-shaking than finger-pointing, and more about maintaining the funk than any particular hairstyle. It's an album of sharp focus and wide variety that matches and surpasses monumental expectations.