“My Pistol Rides Shotgun” is the brand new offering from this high octane rockabilly outfit from the Clarksburg, W.Va., area. Comprised of four area music veterans, Ryan Cain has assembled quite a cast of characters that have proven to be ample at creating some energetic and quite catchy material on this latest release.

The rockabilly genre, among its constituents, is notorious for its “purist” take on the way everything is executed – from the music itself all the way down to the length of the pant cuff (if one were to even take on the cuff).

Ryan Cain and the Ables most definitely appear to be the real deal, all around. The twelve songs that adorn the track list on “My Pistol Rides Shotgun” are all essentially in the same vein or style of the Rockabilly realm. The tunes are really well-written, getting to the point without loads of needless metaphor, as any of the artists within this genre should do. The topics are basic, sticking to hep chicks, jealousy, a touch of violence, rural areas, run-ins with the law, etc.

Musically, the guitars stand out nicely. There are some cool licks and solos that really make the songs stand out in great ways. Evan Jones appears to be using the traditional stand-up bass. Sometimes people don’t realize that the organic pluck of those strings adds an extra texture of percussion that they incorporate well with the stick clicks on the snare drum, giving the sound of the percussion a very authentic feel.

Cain’s voice is also a stand-out, coming across with an almost Elvis Presley quality in parts and a more Buddy Holly-esque touch in others. This is a cool thing, with a lot of the Rockabilly guys attempting to project a more Gene Vincent, Duane Eddy, Eddie Cochran sort of thing.

Most, if not all, of the songs included are in almost a kind of punk rock vein in that they are short and sweet, and have the ability to appeal to a cross-genre audience. There’s not a bad song on “My Pistol Rides Shotgun,” but some good stand-outs are tunes like the lead track “Lookin’ Mighty Sharp in Nothin’ Flat,” “My Pistol Rides Shotgun,” “She’s That Slick,” and the Commander Cody-like “Haunted Hot Rod.”

Any fans of good traditional country and rock & roll and its sub-genres should really give this album a listen. “My Pistol Rides Shotgun” is one of those releases that is good the first time around and gets better with each additional run.