Red Meat

Red Meat (not to be confused with the harder-rockin’ Chicago outfit Red Red Meat) is a traditional country outfit whose members have apartments in San Francisco and hearts and homes in various parts of the Midwest. As singer Smelley (David) Kelley sings in the anti-California lament “Midwest Blues,” Iowa’s callin’ me ’cause I got nothin’ out here to lose. Kelley actually sounds a little bit like George Jones, and the similarity is natural, not because of a strained affectation.

With producer Dave Alvin’s help, Alameda County Line is as traditional as a beef-packing plant. The band’s original songs range from the ’60s-country-radio-ready “Memory of Your Smile” to the dying car ballad “Under the Wrench” to bassist Jill Scott’s folky “Sweet Song” and guitarist Scott Young’s comical “Lolita,” about a guy who can hook up only with women named Lolita because he branded the name of the first Lolita on his arm. By the time the band dusts off Harlan Howard and Tompall Glaser’s “Streets of Baltimore” for a live encore track, Red Meat has erased any doubt that a group that hails from the city of delectables and fine wine can produce music that’s far from dainty.