With Dust Bowl Revival, Ox (formerly known as singer/songwriter Mark Browning and friends) demonstrates that Canada is as good a place as any to originate loose-limbed Americana (Canadiana?). His searingly emotional yet laid-back songs are far more evocative of half-remembered drives across Death Valley than universal health care, but Browning's countrymen don't seem to mind his ostensible lack of patriotism. Dust Bowl Revival spent a nice chunk of time at the top of the Canadian National College Radio Chart, edging out even Hail to the Thief -- not too shabby for a self-released album.

This is Browning's third album, but the first released under the moniker Ox. He explains his name-flopping as a cure for the "I-suck"s, allowing him more freedom to write music rather than worry about its quality. The results of his newfound nonchalance are twenty-four live-recorded tracks, half of them available by download using a link on the disc. The actual album tracks tend toward summery, meandering stories of travel, women and highjinks (not only is there a song called "Stolen Car", there's also a "Stolen Bike"). The downloadables include the usual alternate/acoustic versions of previously recorded songs as well as a cover of "Brand New Key", which doesn't come close to beating out Rasputina's version of the tune (and it's tucked into the tail end of the CD's final track, anyway). There are a few gems, worth the time investment even if you don't have DSL. Browning seems to have left his darker material for the Internet; fully three of these songs ("1913", "Iowa" and "Deportee") are chilling tales of injustices and worse done to the working classes.

Like much alt-country, Ox is more remarkable for songwriting than style. "Transam" opens the album on a very REM-ish note, and Browning pays considerable homage to Neil Young, Lynyrd Skynyrd and My Morning Jacket as well. But he does a good job at filling the rather large shoes he's set out for himself, and his references to places like Vancouver and Michigan, rather than points further south, set him somewhat apart. Dust Bowl Revival is a relaxed record, full of studio-artifact background noise; listening to it is almost like seeing Ox live would be, and that seems to be what Browning was going for.