This compilation, which centers around the songwriting and production of drummer Kevin Mahl, is a perfect microcosm of every aspect of the present day swamp pop scene; good, bad and ugly. Jake Chimento comes on like gangbusters with a rockin’ rendition of Oliver Morgan’s “Who Shot The La La.” Timmy Billiot doesn’t do much on the cheeseball ballad “Cover Me” or the upbeat Mahl original “Saturday Night” but later rises to the occasion with a decent “Wasted Days And Wasted Nights.” Ryan Foret is also saddled with slightly mediocre material on “Girl” but turns in a soulful performance nevertheless, proving that there is some truth in the old saying “The singer, not the song.” The same cannot be said for Bonnie Abadie’s “Man Gone Bad.” It’s basically the musical equivalent of the Jerry Springer show, with Abadie proudly running down a laundry list of her man’s faults that would make any self-respecting gal run for the door, only to conclude by singing fervently, “No matter what they say, he’s the best that you’ve ever had.” I guess you could call it the sad truth.