In Brief

This onetime Nashville bar band got signed based on its live shows, so the welcome surprise in the group’s second live CD isn’t the spirited performances of vintage tunes such as Bob Wills’ “Brain Cloudy Blues” or Charlie Daniels’ “Uneasy Rider,” but the strength of the band’s own material, which previously has tended toward routine at best. BR5-49 (which plays Wednesday at the Whisky) gets within reach of the Blasters and Joe Ely in terms of live muscle and authority, which is none too shabby.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.