This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
After spending much of his career apparently trying to channel the sound and spirit of British punk, Social Distortion leader Mike Ness has spent the last few years embracing his Yankee rock and country roots.
The latest step in this musical repatriation is the cover album Under The Influences, Ness’s second release in under a year and a worthy followup to this summer’s Cheating At Solitaire. With his usual scraggly voice (is it just me, or is he starting to sound a bit like Shane MacGowan from The Pogues?) and scrappy delivery, Ness and his touring lineup blast their way through countrified classics from Bobby Fuller (I Fought The Law), Hank Williams (House Of Gold) and Merle Haggard (Big Iron). Welcome home, Mike.
