As I write this, the first snow of this winter is falling outside, which is kind of funny, because In Your Backyard, the latest disc from Chris Colepaugh and the Cosmic Crew, is a perfect summer album: think Dave Matthews Band?s groovy jams with an ample shot of classic rock and blues. It also happens to be one of the best East Coast albums of the year.

All three musicians are in top form, and the production is crisp and clear without being too busy, allowing the songs to shine. And what songs they are: soon-to-be-classic rock tunes with impossibly catchy riffs, soaring Stevie Ray Vaughan-like vocals and stellar work by Daigle and Sasnyiuk. It?s hard to pick a highlight when the album is so consistently good. Colepaugh and company avoid repetition by mixing up straight ahead rockers (?Caught Up to You?), lighter-waving ballads (?California Mountain?), fiery blues (?Runnin? Out?), and twangy country (?Don?t Want You ?Round No More?). The disc even closes with a great cover of Neil Young?s classic ?After the Goldrush? that turns the original song?s sparse desperation into a cathartic anthem.

So, go pick up a copy of In Your Backyard, bundle up in your snowsuits and enjoy summer all over again, snow or no snow. And be sure to check out Chris Colepaugh and the Cosmic Crew when they hit George?s Roadhouse later this month.

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