When Baton Rouge-bred, Texas-schooled Troy Turner steps into his cover of Arthur Gunter’s “Baby, Let’s Play House,” track two of this CD, he drains all the implicit sex out of the come-on and devotes all his attention to the groove.

It sounds like the only house he has on his mind is the roadhouse, and that’s just as well—for a man who’s already a seasoned road rat at 30. Forget the comic seduction of, say, Elvis’ version; Troy gives off the aura of a man who’d just as soon sleep with his guitar. If even half the tear-stained tales on this CD are to be believed, he’s got good reason.

On this, his third CD and his first on Telarc, Turner continues to worship at the feet of Albert Collins and Stevie Ray Vaughn; not just with his whipcrack leads but his composition style, as well. You may as well BE in Austin when he drops that minor 7th chord deep in the bowels of the title track like a bomb in a crowded room. It’s a good kind of panic.

Vocally, he’s still improving, but lagging far behind his main instrument. Any deficiencies, however, are nicely smoothed over by the very sincerity he displays when he resurrects Freddie King’s “Hide Away” and paints everything black on Jerry Lynn Williams’ “Lonely Café.” In fact, Troy fares best when he drops the good-time boogie and jumps headfirst into the pain, like on the gently ironic original “No Hard Feelings.”

If you like your roadhouse funk shuffles drenched with lifetimes of romantic regret, this CD is essential listening. Just don’t expect Troy to flash that gold-toothed grin too much.