Whitey Morgan & the 78's make it to the top shelf of Bloodshot's bar.

NPR may not be the first place you'd think to go for snarling, blood-on-the-tele country music, but they sure got it right when faced with Whitey Morgan & the 78's: "Staying close to the sound and subject matter of classic outlaw artists like Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and David Allan Coe, Morgan is poised to lead this hard-worn brand of country to the next generation."

More than a decade after we let this record loose, millions of Yellowstone viewers heard "Bad News" as delivered by Whitey Morgan & the 78's from this here album. We suspect more than a few of those folks will be compelled to drink straight from the source and hear more of what they love. It's also not a stretch to say the rest of country has caught up with what Whitey Morgan was puttin' down in 2010. Anyone listening to Chris Stapleton and Jamey Johnson will find a familiar friend right here.

As for us, we like to think of their Bloodshot debut as the birth of Altlaw Country and 15 years later it's earned the Barrel Select designation as one of the best damn records we've got. As such, this new pressing is on Bloodshot-red vinyl and now includes a replica of the Whitey Morgan & the 78's Holiday Whiskey Extravaganza gig at Chicago's Cobra Lounge.