I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER.....Than to buy THE MISTREATERS' "Playa Hated To The Fullest" CD on the evidence of one raucous song I'd downloaded. Should I have stopped at the CD's lame title? Yes, but I did not. Should I have stopped at the cover shot of the indirectly-lit Milwaukee band, standing in front of a brick wall? Yes, but I did not. Alas, this is generic, boozy, beef-core, with a few promising nods in the direction of the LAZY COWGIRLS and the 1990s RIP OFF bands, but lacking 1/10th of the punch of either. Maybe it's the overwrought, "Come owwwn, bayyy-buh!" vocals, or the soundalike 90-second tracks, all very "punishing" and "meaty" and such, but little more. Trust me, this is a sound you're well, well acquainted with.

posted by Jay H. at 1:19 PM