Audio Mixers: Dallas Good; Don Pyle.

Recording information: Stampede Origin (07/10/2008-07/10/2008); The Woodhsed (07/10/2008-07/10/2008).

Photographer: Amanda Schenk.

Sure, John Doe will always be best known as the driving force behind thinking-man's punks X, but even in the 1980s he was exploring country with side-project the Knitters, and his later solo albums mined a decidedly more Americana-oriented lode. So his collaboration with Canadian country outfit the Sadies shouldn't come as too much of a shock. Together, Doe and the Sadies take a spirited run through the classic-country songbook, interpreting tunes by old-school honky-tonk heroes like Hank Williams and Porter Wagoner as well as '60s new-Nashville icons like Kris Kristofferson and Roger Miller. Doe's deep, mellifluous voice sits comfortably atop the sparkling twang of the Sadies, both parties exuding a reverence for the material while still managing to put a personal stamp on the tunes.