Country Fried falls somewhere between ’70s country rock and late ’50s folk, especially given the hearty vocals of Brian Ayres, Taylor Garrett and Todd McNulty. Whether it’s lazy shuffles, gospel-like testimonies (“Faithful Man Woes”) or intros that recall the Grateful Dead’s “Ripple” (“That Rainy Weekend”), there’s a certain quirkiness here, which is appealing in its own right since it’s the antithesis of being commercially slick. McNulty’s co-authored “Running Lights” is catchy enough—a jilted groom is continuously haunted by sightings of his gold-glittery bride-to-be. Interestingly, the title track comes from a Langston Hughes poem that Garrett astutely adapted into a country song.

Initially, the live crowd pleaser “Me & Johnny Cash” seems odd with Garrett’s novelty Johnny Cash character yearning to sing Neil Young’s “Cowgirl in the Sand.” But the concept makes sense given how Cash covered a wide expanse of unlikely material on the Rick Rubin-produced American Recordings. Life is Fine may be fried but it’s far from being burnt.